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Chapter Text

Darkness fell over the village and wrapped everything in deep blackness, so that only silhouettes and blurred outlines were to be made out in the surrounding. Nothing did break through the black cloak of the night, not even the moonlight, which was not present, just for the matter of fact, that it was new moon.
Everything was peaceful and quiet, except for the man-shaped figure that stood on one of the masts and looked unto the village. A breeze caused the cloak, which the figure wore, to rustle silently in the light draught.

“We will meet again. I promise. But until then I have to take care of a few other things. Let us hope, that they will not blow it.”

It was barely more than a whisper, empty and free of any emotions, only the tight body posture gave a hint, that this was about a serious matter.

“Or they will bitterly regret it.”

The head lifted up, away from the sight of the village and eyes, glowing as white as the moon, looked coldly through the night, until they changed into a colour-changing spiral. Even before the eyes could stabilize themselves back, the person on the mast vanished. The only thing that gave away, that just mere seconds ago, someone had stood on the mast, was a symbol burned into the end of the wooden trunk, which sent away light vapours into the dark night.
Probably no one would discover the sign very soon, after all, no one had detect the person, sneaking into the village. Whatever all of this meant, no one guessed a thing.

The question was - for how long?

Chapter Text

The happy laughter of children bursted through the otherwise quiet and sunny spring midmorning in the village hidden under leaves - Konohagakure. On the streets was the ordinary bustle of every day. Mothers doing chores for their families, pupils of the academy went to classes or were on their way home, travellers looked at the exhibited articles put out by shops, merchants traded their objexts, Ninjas came back from missions or were on their way to another and children, children were playing with each other high-spirited and happily. They were chasing or playing hide and seek, interpretating the life as Ninja, how they imagined it in their naive fantasy. Only one young girl wasn’t playing high-spirited as the others.

Well-behaved, as she was educated, she stayed next to the grown-up woman with blonde hair at shoulder-length, but looked to the playing children, with her bright green eyes, ever so often. Everyone with eyes, could see, that the girl with the twinkling emeralds would have loved to play with the others, accompany them, that was why her shy gaze went up to the grown-up at her side again and again. Hesitatingly she held her arm up, wanted to tuck at the womans sleeve, but put her arm back down and looked at the floor in front of her, unsure about what she should do.

At a stall with fruits and vegetables both women took halt and while the elder one watched the goods, the younger one looked around and observed.

“Just you wait, you rascal, stop! Did you not hear me?!”

An outraged voice got through the crowd of people and just before the young girl could turn around, she felt, that someone jostled again her, she lost her balance and fell.

“Sorry! I did not want to run into you and knock you down. I hope you don’t-”

Still confused with what just happened, she looked up and gazed into bright blue eyes and the grinning face of a blonde boy, who interrupted himself, because he seemed to had seen something behind her, because his grin changed into a scared grimace.

“Sorry, I would help you, you know, but I have to go. Bye!”

With these words the boy turned around and started to run, soon an elder lady passed her, furious and upbraiding about the audacious thief, that took flight. That explains, why he fled, but what did he steal? Still absent-minded she sat on the ground, staring into the direction, the elder woman and the boy had vanished. A very strange meeting this had been, and still a smile sneaked onto her thin lips and she barely could restrain an amused giggle, when she stood up, dusting her clothes off.

“Sakura, where have you been, I told you not to dawdle.”

With big eyes the addressed girl turned around, which caused some rose wisps of hair to get caught on her face, which she swiped away with a fast movement of her hand, only to find the person, which had called out to her.

“I am sorry Okaa-san, I did not pay attention.”

Her fast, toddling steps got her back again at the side of the blonde woman, who reacted to her answer with a slight not and put her attention back on the market.

“You know, that you should not just pause, when we are on our way, Sakura. It’s bad manners. Not only you could be in the way of others, no you could get lost and worry your Okaa-san and your Otou-san.”

The deepgreen, dark eyes of her mother looked at her, for a short moment, beseechingly mustering her and looked on the way again, after that.

Guiltily Sakura looked at the ground in front of her while she followed her mother. She knew, that her parents meant no harm, but sometimes she thought that her parents were way to strict. 

They were always worried, took heed, that she behaved herself and that she always studied hard. Faux-Pas were not welcome and the rose-haired tried everything in her power, that her parents were pleased with her.

“It won’t happen again, Okaa-san. I…”
She got silent. Should she tell about the boy, that had knocked her down? Her gaze went up to the face of the blonde and the girl shook her head barely visible.

Sakura did knew her mother good enough, to suspect the end of that and she did not want to be scolded even more. However did her mother seem to wait for something, because she looked at her, since she had not continued her sentence.

“Mhm… I … I wanted to ask, if I am allowed to play in the park with Mariko-san, later.”

Before her mother could object to this, the little one hastily continued: “I did all my duties and so far my Senseis are pleased with my accomplishments. Also… Also I should make contacts with peers, for later. Don’t you think? It would make things a lot easier, I guess!”

Both had stopped at the wayside and while Sakura looked at her mother with big, pleading eyes, the adult seemed to consider her words seriously.
Mebuki Haruno did not like it, when her daughter roved about the streets of Konoha, outside the safe walls of their little, but nice Clan-neighborhood.  She knew, that her daughter needed children her age, around her instead of only grown-ups, but sadly there had been nearly no children in the Haruno-Clan in the last years. Almost seven years ago her little princess had been the first child within the Clan, since a long time, and all had been happy, that the little cherry-blossoms birth saved the Clans survival, even if some would have preferred a male heir.

Two years ago, another child had been born, but Sakura could not do much with the toddler. Finding more children inside the Harunos was without success, which was why Sakura spent her time mostly with adults and her nanny Mariko.

Mariko wasn’t really part of the Clan, but was a family’s friend and confidant, which was why the young woman, was allowed to take care of her daughter and lived next to the Clan.

With a cautious sigh, Mebuki went on and took the way towards home.
“As long as you behave at dinner and Mariko-chan has nothing today and I have got an idea of your accomplishments for myself, you can go to the park. But promise me, that you will take care of yourself and listen to Mariko, understood?”

She knew that she was overprotective, but she could not change it, not after the things that happened nearly six years ago. But the face of her daughter radiant with joy let her forget her sorrows temporarily. She could not keep her child in the house forever and protect it from the outside world. She had to make her experiences and needed to find friends, make relationships. Something, that could be more than useful in a few years, when she followed the duties of the Clansite.

“Come on”, the blonde said softly and offered her daughter her free hand, so that she could take it. “Let’s go home and prepare dinner. Your father will be home soon, too.”

When Sakura took her hand, she softly squeezed her hand once and continued on the way. She could feel, how happy her daughter was with her consent to go play, even if it was hard for her to let it happen. Sakura had to learn and with this thought she passed through the little archway, behind which the few houses of the Haruno’s stood and walked towards the main house, where she lived with her husband and her little princess.

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Excitedly Sakura jumped up and down in the entrance area of her parent’s house, waiting impatiently, that her nanny would get into her into her shoes and jacket, so that she could go. She was way too excited, to stand calmly to wait for the adult. Mariko could only shake her head about the high jinks, the little one had.
“Give me just a few more minutes, Sakura-chan, and we can go. The park won’t walk away.”

“But maybe it will start to rain or worse all the other children will be gone, when we come. But that’s why I want to go. To play with them!”

For a short moment, Mariko closed her hazelnut brown eyes and shook her head in amusement. This child had always been a class for herself. Always on the search for something new and always open-minded, even if she was reserverd and shy sometimes, until she could open up a little bit. With a few trained movements, Mariko tied her shoulderlength, black hair together with a red ribbon, she had got for her last birthday from Sakura.

Partnerlook she had said then, after Sakura had proudly shown her the exact same hairpiece, which she had got and now she seldomly left the house without the present.

“I’m making quick, even if I doubt, that the other children will vanish that fast, because we have left the house a little bit later.”

With these words she put on her shoes and went to the door, to open it.

“You will stay by my side until we arrive at the park, understood Sakura-chan?”

Only after she got a confirming nod, she opened the door and left with the little whirlwind.

Where ever the cherryblossom got her energy from, she seemed to be an inexhaustible well. While they unhurriedly went to the park, Sakura seemed to jump happily next to her, rather then walking beside Mariko. Ever so often the younger one spinned aroung, sprinted the few lost meters, to be beside her nanny again or dashed a few meters before her, only to make a halt, bobbing on her feet or spinning around again. All the while, Sakura emphasised , how happy she was and that she could not wait, until they arrived at the park. The child was too sweet. At the same time her nanny understood, why she was this excited.

Although Sakura would turn seven in a few days, she barely had had the time to play with children her age. It was no mystery in the village, that the Haruno’s had a watchful eye on their heir. There were enough rumours about the reasons. From “they are ashamed, because she is ugly” to, “they think that she is way to good for the commoners and their Shinobi”. Besides there was the fact, that they had been on travels a lot in the last few years, so that they had spent less time in the village. it was no wonder, that Sakura had no friends in her age or that the people of Konoha didn’t seem to know her.

Nonetheless Sakura was a tender and happy child, as Mariko thought. Despite all the circumstances and probable loneliness, the little one never lost her smile and enjoyed every free time she could get.

Last year she had asked her, if she didn’t feel alone, without children around her and the answer she had only gotten a smile and “why should I feel alone, Mariko-san? I have you, my parents, my Senseis, the animals outside and my fantasy, so I can’t be alone, don’t you think?”

The answer had been serious, even if she had admitted subsequently, that she would like to do something with others her age, anyway. It did not change anything for the rose-haired, though. Maybe, that was what Mariko hoped, now, that her parents would stay a while in the village and would leave their daughter with her, would there be a need for them to go on travels unexpectedly. She did not know the exact reaspn for this, and she never asked. She just hoped, it would do Sakura some good, when she could arrive at a place and find friends. The child really deserved it.

“Mariko-san! Mariko-san!”
Without  her noticing it, they had arrived at the park, which Sakura had to tell her nanny loudly.
“We arrived! Isn’t it nice? So much green and … and so many children and families!”

Amused the elder one observed the fascination of the six-year old, who had found an undiscovered paradise, judged by her face.
“I see Sakura-chan, I see. That is not only Konoha’s biggest park, but also the eldest. It’s here, since the village has been founded and it is a popular place for families. Now, get on, have fun and find some new friends, just stay in sight. I will sit there. And now, off you go!”

Mariko had shown Sakura, where she would be sitting, and then she gave her protégée a soft push forward, so that she could frolic around, which made them both laugh.
She was excited and nervous, as soon as Mariko had turned her back on her and she was on her own.

You can do this Sakura! You are no coward. They, they would want to make friends, too. A group of children had aroused her attention, but she was unsure, if she could get nearer to the others, just like this. It was something completely new for her, since she had no problem with turning to adults, but it seemed to be harder with people her age. Taking a deep breath, closing the eyes for a short moment and breathing out, she smiled and made her way to the other children, she saw a movement in the corner of her eye, which caused her to look left.

A girl, not much older than Sakura, sat in front of a few spring flowers and watched them extensively. Curious, she got nearer to the blonde, sat beside her and, watched the flowers and the girl by turns.

“Hello, what are you doing? Do you like flowers?

The unknown girl gasped when she was addressed.

“Hello, yes… yes I do like flowers, that’s why I like to look at them! My mother owns a flower-shop, that’s why I know many flowers, that grow here. I do like the variety, that we have here and sometimes I like to make wreaths. What about you? Do you like flowers, too?”

Inevitably a smile appeared on both girls lips, when Sakura nodded.

“Yes, I love flowers! But I love cherry blossoms the most.” 

Beaming with joy, Sakura grinned at the blond, who started to laugh.

“I believe that. They fit your hair-colour! I have never seen someone with rose hair, I have to admit. Are you new around here?”

The warm smile did not leave their faces, as they continued their talk.

“Hm! My parents say, that the colour is extraordinary and that’s why I am special. That’s why they called me Sakura. We got here yesterday after a looooooooong journey, that’s why we haven’t met earlier, probably. May I know your name?”

While she talked, she did not sound cocky. Her hair colour always had been the reason why she had gotten a certain amount of attention, no matter if she wanted this or not, which was why her parents had told her, to look at it as something special, because not all the comments on the colour, had been nice.

“Sakura, huh? Yes, that seems to be perfect. I am Yamanaka. Yamanaka, Ino.”

“Nice to meet you, Ino-chan! Do you want to be friends?”

Chapter Text

The feeling of happiness, which flooded through her could not be described with mere words. It had been wonderful, when Ino answered her question with a crystal-clear “of course”and Sakura had nearly burst out crying. Not, because it was something bad, but because after all these years she had finally made a friend her age. Full with joy she had hugged the blonde and could not fight a few tears, which caused her new made friend to be sorrowed and asking her, why she cried.

After she had put herself back together, she told Ino about it: that she was not able to make friends until now, because her parents had always been on the road with her. The encouraging words of her friend felt good and Sakura did believe, that, no matter what happened, they would remain friends.

They spent their time together in the park, talking about everything, that came to their minds and besides that the Yamanaka-heir taught her how to make flower wreaths.

Sakura’s first tries were far from being good and in direct comparison to those Ino did, they were unspectacular, loosely tied and not very pretty. That did not stop her from trying, though.

“Say, Ino-chan, why are you so good with this?”, slightly frustrated she looked up from her flower wreath and holded it up, before it fell apart and a frustrated sigh was to be heard.

“I told you, my mum has a flower shop and I often watch her and help. You just need a little bit more practice and then you will see, they will be as beautiful as mine.”

A thankful smile darted over Sakuras lips, as she said thank you and tried again.

But again the girls were interrupted, when a turmoil started in the park and someone screamed rude insults.

“What happend?”

Her gaze found a man, obviously upset. Before him stood a boy, with blonde, unkempt hair and she somehow knew him.

“Don’t know.” came the answer from her left. “But we shouldn’t get involved. Everyone treats him like that… I think his name is Naruto. My mum told me to keep away from him.”

In disbelieve Sakura turned around to her friend: “Why? He doesn’t seem to be dangerous.”

She got nothing more than a shrug as an answer, so she turned around again and gasped. The man wasn’t about to-?! Without thinking she stood up and sprinted, as fast as her small legs could carry her. One, two times she nearly fell, could just barely hold herself up and a few meters before the man and the boy she stopped.

“What do you think you do here?!” she called out with her childish voice, while she slowly walked towards the blonde boy, still slightly breathless, not stopping to look at the man. That was why she did not see the shocked gazes of the boy and her friend, who had followed. When she got no answer, she took a deep breath, straightened herself and fixated the towering man in front of her.

“I asked you what you think you do? Don’t you think you should be ashamed that you want to beat a child?!”

Sakura tried to speak and look as grave as she could, she was furious, so her voice got higher towards the end. How could a grown-up seriously beat a child? That was against every sense of ethics she had.

The man in front of her slowly seemed to get out of his frozen state and she could see, how his eyes became slits, his furious aura flickered higher.

“Don’t mess with my business, little one. That brat doesn’t deserve something else and you shouldn’t protect him. He is a dangerous monster, that shouldn’t be allowed roaming around! Now get out of my way.”

Sakura squinted and still looked at him, stubbornly, crossing her arms. “That’s out of the question! What did he do to you, that justifies your behaviour? Did he harm you? Bit you, kick you? Anything?”

“He is not a child. He deserves it for what he is. He is a monster, nothing else.” the man raged and took a step forward, grabbed Sakura at her collar and lifted her up. “You should go, before you will be hurt, too. Don’t meddle with affairs, that aren’t yours.” with these words he wanted to cast aside the struggling Sakura in his grasp, when he felt something cold and sharp against his throat.

“Mariko-san!” the relieved voice of the little Haruno was heard, as she stopped struggling, seeing her nanny behind the man.

“You will let down the little one now. Slowly, so she won’t be heard and then you better leave, except you want to explain yourself to the Harunos, why their heir was hurt and threatened, by someone like you, despite her standing up for healthy values. Nobody should beat a child.” Marikos voice was cold as ice, not what Sakura knew from being with her alone, but she knew that side of her nanny, since she had defended her from time to time already. Slowly the man set her down, but only when she had the safe ground under her feet again, Mariko lowered the Kunai and gestured to the man that he should vanish.

“Is everything alright? He did not hurt you, did he Sakura-chan?” as soon as the man had vanished from the scene, Mariko kneeled in front of the little Haruno, looking at her, her eyes showed worry, while she tried to find injuries.

“It’s alright Mariko-san, thank you. I am fine. Really. I just… I couldn’t let him hit someone.” a warm smile showed up in Sakuras face, while she looked at her nanny, then she turned around to the boy, which she had defended a minute before. “What about you? Did he hurt you? If yes… I am sorry, that I wasn’t here earlier.” Apologetically she looked at the blonde, trying to look as friendly as possible.

At first there was no reaction and she thought she had done something wrong. But her fear was without reason, as she suddenly found herself in a dashing hug, that overwhelmed her. What was the meaning of this?

Hesitantly and still shy Sakura returned the hug, tightened it unknowingly, when she felt her top becoming wet. The boy was crying! A while she stood there just like that, holding the blonde boy, letting him cry. Mariko once told her that it was important to let someone just cry and that the most important thing was being on that person’s side, so that she wouldn’t be alone and Sakura did that in this moment. When the boy had calmed down, he loosened the hug and she did the same.

“Thank you!” his voice, still shaking from crying, did not lose the words sincerity and when she looked in the blondes face, she could only see appreciation and a wide grin, next to the traces of his ebbed tears.

“No p-”
“No, really. Thank you so much! No… no one did that for me, ever! You… you just appeared out of the nothing and woosh you told him! That was awesome! Without backing off you stood before me and wow… no one has ever defended me. And I am a complete stranger!”
The wide green vanished not one minute and the blue eyes beamed at Sakura, as if she was something like his personal heroine. That embarrassed her somehow and she blushed, averted her eyes on the floor and started to knead her top, not sure what she should do.

“Ah… I … that… that really isn’t a problem! I was told that, whenever I witness something unfair, I shall step in and what the man did was absolutely unfair! He didn’t even had a reason! And even then violence against children is not to… tole… tolerable!” Gosh, that was hard word. “Also Mariko-san was the one who saved us both from the man! I am Sakura, by the way, so that we aren’t strangers anymore.”

Sakura could not prevent a sincere smile, as she reached out her hand towards the boy, especially not, when she saw how his eyes got bigger and his grin even wider. As he took her hand she knew by instinct that she had won a new friend.

“I am Naruto Uzumaki and on day I will become Hokage, believe it!” She could hear an amused giggle from behind, but Sakura ignored it. Others ones could think that this dream was stupid or childish, she thought it was wonderful.

“Then I will help you with that, Naruto! That’s what friends should do. Helping each other.” She had barely said these words, there she got pulled into another hug and she couldn’t help herself watching over her shoulder towards Mariko, which looked at her with a warm gaze. She had done something good and right and she could see it in the grown-up’s eyes.

“Mariko-san? Can we stay a little bit longer? I want to spent some more time with my friends.”

“Of course, Sakura-chan. But remember. Don’t get up to nonsense.”
“I won’t, I promise!”, and with these words the heir took one hand of Naruto and one of Ino and ran away with both of them in the direction of the playground.

Together the three spent their time building a sandcastle, which of course was meant to be the most beautiful of all, which was why the made an extra deal of effort. The burg had a wide moat around and a bridge led inside. Thick and high walls protected the inside and in the highest of the towers would life a princess, locked-in and guarded by a dragon. While they worked together, giving free rein to their imagination, a whole world took form around Naruto, Ino and Sakura, so that they didn’t realise their next visitor.

“...needs flowers, so that the sight is pretty…”
“Who needs flowers for the sight, Ino? Cloud gazing is enough.”, someone said and they all turned around to the voice’s owner in surprise. Sakura did not know them. Before them stood two boys, maybe the same age.
The one who had spoken, was slim, his hands buried in his khaki-coloured trouser’s pockets and while Sakura studied his face she couldn’t help but recognise some similarities with a pineapple. The second boy behind the slim one, was more heavyset and his hair stood wildly in every direction. Most notably, though were the red spirals on his cheeks and a bag of crisps in one of his hands.

Just when Ino wanted to answer, she was interrupted by a loud voice: “Shikamaru! Choji! What are you doing here? I thought you had no time for the park today?”

The addressed ones turned to Naruto and the boy with the pineapple hair shrugged: “We just didn’t want to get caught with you after your prank. My mum would have screamed so loud in anger, that my ears would have fallen off, it it came out, that I was involved.”

“Coward Shikamaru, but it was funny, how the old woman ran after me, flaming mad.”

In this moment something made click in Sakura’s head: “Wait, wait, wait, Naruto. Don’t tell me, you were the one that bumped into me on the market place this morning?”

Big eyes looked at the blonde, who showed a dumb grin towards the pink-haired girl and scratched his head: “Hehehe, I think it was me. Sorry Sakura-chan, I didn’t intend too.”
She shook her head, smiling: “It’s fine. But now I want to know, what you guys did. That woman ran after you like a dragon!”, and if she thought back… that kinda had been amusing.

Shikamaru and Choji exchanged glances with Naruto, before they sat down with the group and the blonde buy started to tell.

“And then I took the very first thing from the washing line and ran. It’s not my fault, when her underwear equals a tent.”

Naruto started laughing out loud, as he remembered and even Sakura couldn’t hold back a giggle: “No wonder, she ran that fast, burning red like a tomato. But if she did treat you unfair, it was her deserved punishment.”

Again she giggled, her words earning her a surprised look from pineapple-head. Not often it happened, that someone stood on Naruto’s side, justifying him or his pranks. Ino, who seemed to have seen Shikamaru’s glance, let the new boys in on the last happenings and while the group chatted and took apart events with Naruto and the grown-ups, as well as the sandcastle and fantasyworld, a mix of voices rang out over the park.

“Sakura-chan! It’s time to go home.”, Sakura would always recognize that voice and as she raised her eyes, she saw Mariko, waving at her.

“Sorry, I have to go now. Mariko-san is waiting and my parents want to have dinner with me, for sure. Can we meet here again tomorrow? Here?”, hopefully she looked into the faces of her new friends, which thought for a moment, then nodded, making her smile.

“Then get home safe, till tomorrow!”

With these words she waved a last time at them and ran to her nanny.

“Did you have fun, Sakura-chan?”
“Yes, very much, Mariko-san. I finally found friends my age and we want to meet here again, tomorrow. Can we go after my lessons? Please?”
Mariko gave Sakura a warm, mild smile and patted her head: “I will see, what I can do. As long as you make an effort, I think there won’t be a problem. I am happy, that you finally found friends. Now come, your parents are waiting.”

With that she reached out towards the young girl and together they made it towards the Haruno-neighbourhood.

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Dinner was silent and civilized at the Haruno’s. Kizashi and Mebuki told her daughter, what they had settled this day and what would await their daughter in the future, now that she would live in Konoja. Silently the heir had listened to her parents, nodding here and there, showing that she listened and that she agreed to the plans. She wasn’t really happy about the fact that she had to attend the public school, like the other children, but her mother’s explanation, that she would be far ahead, due to her private teaching and that she would be bored, seemed justified in her eyes. If she had understood her mother correctly, she would have the choice in two years, if she wanted to attend the civil or the Ninja-academy. Meanwhile she would continue to take lessons at home, especially diplomatic affairs, as economy, politics and social studies, the history of clans included.

Not that Sakura had deep interest for these topics, but she had learned that it was important to know these things when you worked as a diplomat and she didn’t want to disappoint her parents, so she learned everything, that she was supposed to learn. It did help, that she liked learning and had a good memory, even if she sometimes preferred to play with other children, having fun. Maybe now, while she lived in Konoha, she could enjoy something of her childhood and with her first friends she had made a big step in this direction, which she wanted to tell her parents.

After dinner she helped her mother clearing the desk and went towards the living room with them, were she would spent her last hours, before she went to bed.

“Otou-san? Okaa-san?”, she addressed her parents, after she took a book out of the shelf and had sit down on the sofa. She waited until she had the attention of both her parents, then she continued talking.
“I found some friends in the park today and tomorrow we want to meet there again. Is that alright? I promise not to neglect my lessons and go after I am done with all my duties. I mean… now that I am to go to public school, I could put my lessons mid-morning and then I would have the afternoon to spent some time to make contact with people my age.” 

And to enjoy her childhood.

Eagerly she looked in her parents faces and waited.

“I am happy that you found friends your age, cherry. As long as your achievements won’t suffer, I have no objections. But don’t think that your mother or I will wake you. We know that you like to sleep longer, but it is your decision to make and your responsibility. Breakfast is at seven and your first lesson in school starts at eight. I will adapt your schedule and inform your Senseis about the changes. If that is what you want, I won’t stop you, princess.”, a mild smile played around the rough lips of her father as he stopped and he stroked through his daughter’s hair with his free hand. The girl beamed at him.

“Thank you Otou-san and you too, Okaa-san. I won’t disappoint you.”
“We know that, darling.”, Mebuki started and put away the notes she had read. “You have never disappointed us and if you continue to study hard and stand for the things we taught you, you will never disappoint us. Don’t forget that, Sakura-chan.”

Thankfully Sakura nodded and leaned on her mother and as she got back to her notes, Sakura opened the book she had chosen and started to read. When she realised, that her eyes became heavier, she closed the book, said good night and made herself ready for bed, before she crawled under her fluffy blanket, her stuffed rabbit in her arm and fell asleep in a few minutes.

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At the same evening a bored boy sat at dinner with his parents and seemed even more thoughtful as usual, what didn’t escape his parents notice.

“Is everything alright, Shikamaru? You’re even more quiet, as usual. Did something happened?”

As he got no answer, Shikaku looked at his wife, but before she could urge the answer out of her son in her usual way, finally he said his first words.
“Choji and I met someone in the park today.”, he started, still not able to look into his parents eyes, rather staring holes into his food. “A girl, pink hair and green eyes. I have never seen her here. What surprises me, is that she was around with Ino and Naruto. Ino never got close to Naruto, let alone undertake something with him and no sooner than the the new one is here and the three seem to be best friends.”

Muttering he took a bite of his food and gave out an annoyed sigh: “Acccording to Ino, the girl protected that slob against a man, who had it in for Naruto. No idea what she plans. Troublesome woman.”, he finished his dinner, while his parents changed on of those special glances.

“Maybe she does not plan something, but is just nice? If she is new, she maybe has no idea what happens in this village and there’s nothing wrong if she befriends Naruto as you did, is it? You said yourself, that you don’t understand why everyone avoids him.”

Shikaku only got a grumble from his son and shook his head.
“Why don’t you get to know her? Invite her with Choji, Ino and Naruto for dinner. If she made it to befriend Ino-chan and Naruto she can’t be bad.”, Yoshino aided her husband only raising a “troublesome” from her son, that didn’t know however, what else he should say, knowing that he shouldn’t contradict his mother, if he didn’t want to get another lecture.

_________________________________________________________________________

Also at the Yamanaka’s the pink-haired was discussion topic number one this evening. Of course Ino immediately had to tell about her new friend, that absolutely cool had stood before Naruto and had praised her, Ino, for her flower wreaths’s.

“She seems to be a nice girl, as you describe her Ino.”
“She is, dad. You should have seen her! So brave and looks like a fragile flower herself! All of us want to meet again in the park tomorrow. I can go, can’t I? Even Naruto is not as bad as everyone says. He is loud and a little bit pushy sometimes, but he seems alright. Even Shikamaru gets along with him and has somehow befriended him…”

Her father Inoichi watched his daughter very good, while she told and as the name Naruto fell, he could feel how his wife hardened. He knew that his wife could not stand the blonde boy, as most people in the village, but somehow he was happy that his daughter started to see the boy not as a nuisance.

“Well~ I don’t mind if you meet again tomorrow. Maybe you can bring her over someday, so that we can meet her. I want to know who is able to make our princess so giddy with excitement.”, Inoichi teased his daughter, who blushed and gave away an embarrassed “Dad!”, which made him and his wife laugh. They would meet that new friend Sakura, he was sure about that.

Chapter Text

Laying on the grass on her back, arms crossed behind her head, Sakura stared into the blue, clear sky, looking at the clouds, rolling by, the wheeling birds and the buzzing insects. Since the last week and since she had arrived at Konoha the days became warmer  and warmer and in not more than three days it would be her birthday. Usually every child looked forward to it’s birthday, Sakura though was torn. She had always spent her last birthdays with grown-ups. Not that her parents and Mariko had not tried to make that day nicer for her, but surrounded by grown-ups strangers and far away from a home that day somehow had become like every other day to the young heir. Only with the difference, that suddenly a lot more people were around her and she got the feeling, as if more was expected from her on that day, than usual.
This year, everything was different though. The last week alone had been so much different to the last years and she wasn’t sure what she should make about this. She had been happy, to finally have friends her age, having time to play and not having to listen to politic and economy talk constantly. She couldn’t do something against that narrow feeling in her chest, that made it hard to breath at some hours. That  feeling was new and she couldn’t place it, but was also afraid to bring the topic up to someone. Instead she tried to distract herself, with reading, learning or playing with her friends in the park, once they came home from school. But today, today was a day, where the thoughts didn’t want to stop. Maybe it was, because her birthday was near, and she didn’t know what would be in store for her. At least it wouldn’t go as she was used to over the years. Or so she hoped. Maybe it was the Situation itself that she still wasn’t used too. Since she could think, she had wished for a normal childhood and now, when that wish was within her grasp, she doubted if she was suitable for something like that. 

Why can’t I just accept it? As if it would help me on, if I will overthink it!

“Ahhhrg!”, annoyed and frustrated from her own tumbling thoughts, Sakura threw her arms and legs in the air, only to remain on the floor after, looking like a starfish.

Sometimes she would love to shut off her own thoughts. Never could it be normal for a child her age! She would get grey hair, before her parents if this would continue!
Grumbling she closed her eyes, tried to concentrate on something else to make her thoughts stop spinning around, but it didn't really help.
"Isn't it a little premature for a young lady like you to look so worried," she heard a deep voice and within seconds Sakura opened her eyes, only to see someone standing next to her head peering down at her.

It was a man about the age of her parents when she tried to assess him, perhaps a little older. His hair was black, cut rather short, the tips protruding fuzzily from his head, making his hair look fuller than it probably was. A headband with the Hitai-ate of Konohagakure covered his forehead, even his eyebrows disappeared under it. Dark almost black eyes looked down at her and if she didn't know it any better, one could assume that the man had narrowed his eyes. But it was the natural shape of them, which she noticed by the lack of the typical wrinkles around his eyes, which would indicate a narrowing of the eyes. His face looked rather angular, due to low cheekbones and a pronounced chin, but by no means too unnatural. From what she could tell, the man seemed to be of rather large stature. His clothes were plain and dark, when she looked at them more closely she could see a red and white emblem on the short sleeves of his top and another badge similar to the shape of a shuriken with dots in the free spaces sewn on the left chest side of the shirt. Both emblems looked very familiar to her.

"That all depends, Shinobi-san. Even children can worry about things. It's just their worries and problems are usually different from adults". The statement seemed to irritate the stranger. She noticed how he, barely visible, briefly pulled his eyes together.
"If I'm not mistaken, you' re from the Konoha Police, aren't you? The insignia on your chest, looks like it at least, and according to the emblem on your sleeve, you are also a member of the Uchiha-Clan. Which isn't surprising considering most of the police are Uchihas." This time the man's eyes widened a few millimeters before Sakura received a slight nod as confirmation. 

"That's right, little one. I am both a Konoha Police officer and a member of the Uchiha Clan. You seem to be a bright girl and have good observation skills, if you've noticed something like that. Who do I have the pleasure of meeting?" Even if she couldn't detect a clear smile on the ninja's lips, the stranger's voice didn't sound unfriendly at all. She even thought she could hear a touch of amusement.

Sakura straightened up before she started to answer and looked up at the Uchiha. She barely reached his stomach, if at all. For a moment, her gaze flitted over his form once more before she bowed.

"Haruno. Haruno Sakura is my name, Uchiha-san and it has less to do with my observation skills. I read a lot about the clans in Konoha, among other things. There I saw the Uchiha's coat of arms, as well as that of the police, and I just recognized it on your clothes." She politely answered the question and straightened up to her normal size again.
By the expression on his face the young heiress tried to find out if he could do something with the family name, but the facial expressions of the shinobi remained quite illegible for her, which frustrated her more than she wanted to admit. Apparently, she had to work on this skill even further and actually she shouldn't have been surprised. Still, she couldn't shake off the feeling that was making its way to the top. The feeling of weakness, of not being good enough, of disappointment with herself. She clearly needed more books on human facial expressions and body language and how to interpret them. Maybe she could talk to her parents or Mariko-san about it tonight. After all, she should always develop and educate herself as soon as she herself noticed that something was missing.

Although she was in thought, she still had her attention on the ninja in front of her. Even in a safe village she should never completely drop her guard, at least that's what Mariko-san had told her over and over again. You could never be one hundred percent sure if the person in front of you came in good intentions. Sakura didn't believe the Uchiha wanted to harm her. That would be against the honor of the Uchihas and also bad for the reputation of the police, but still Mariko-san's warning whispered in her subconscious.

"You read? On your own? How old are you, little one? That you can remember the information, too?"
Something told her the man in front of her could hardly believe it. Was it so unusual for children to read? Or liked to read and remember what they read?

"I'm gonna be seven in three days, and yes, I love to read." A smile had settled on her lips. It's true, she liked to read, and even difficult literature didn't stop her. At first it was more or less forced, her parents had insisted on teaching her to read quickly. But little by little she found that it could also be fun and started to read books and scrolls on her own, even if she had to look up many words or get an explanation from Mariko.

"Almost seven and already knows how to read by herself...", she heard the man mumble more to himself, only lacking that he shook his head in disbelief. "You said Haruno, little one. Are you of the Haruno clan?" Something in the man's voice was strange, only she couldn't figure out what it was. She nodded tentatively.

"Hai, though I only came back a week ago with my family." If he knew the Harunos, he certainly also was aware that the main family had been travelling for years. The look she received was illegible to her, so she bent her head to the side inquiringly. "Is something wrong with Uchiha-san?" she asked and received a shake of the head in response.

"Everything's all right little one. I just didn't realize there was another child in the Haruno clan.”

"Ah, yes, children are rare in our family, that's true." No wonder he was surprised to see her, the youngest child within her clan was only two years old, then she followed and then... Well after that you couldn't talk about children anymore, but rather about almost young adults. She didn't even know for sure if the village knew she was the daughter of the main family, although somehow she didn't care. It was better if nobody knew about it, the less others would expect from her. But she wasn't as reckless as to believe that. A bad end could threaten her if she would accept it without further ado.

The two looked at each other in silence and the Haruno still couldn't figure out the expression on the other's face. It frustrated her, but tried not to let on. She had had enough 'lessons' in diplomacy with her parents and sensei to forget that she should always try to be illegible for her counterpart. Only when she heard footsteps approaching did she turn her head to the side and try to identify the person to whom the footsteps belonged. A younger man in his mid-twenties approached her and stopped a good two meters in front of her and the Uchiha. His gaze wandered from her to the policeman and back again, he looked worried, if not a little anxious.

"Kid, you better keep your distance. Uchihas are... f-forget it. Is he slowing you down?" Sakura blinked. Had she missed anything? Her gaze flitted from the stranger to the Uchiha, who was standing much stiffer than just a few seconds ago, and his eyes were coolly focused on the young man. Something told her that she had experienced this situation before on her travels and she felt more and more uncomfortable the longer she remained silent. But even before she could answer, the black-haired man began to talk.

"Are you accusing me and the Uchihas of something? I just--", He didn't get any further when he noticed a touch on his leg and looked down, only to see Sakura standing right next to him and her little hand clawing into the fabric of his pants. For a moment she gave him a smile and then turned to the other man.

"Uchiha-san here has done nothing but inquire after my welfare. Your concern is honorable, but shouldn't I be safest around a shinobi policeman? I mean, that's what they're there for, ain't they? To ensure the safety of the villagers." With innocent eyes and a charismatic smile on her lips, Sakura looked at the young man whose name she didn't know and clearly saw how he looked at her in disbelief and his hand started to shake for a moment.

"I don't know if you put your trust in the right people, little one." A strange energy seemed to emanate from the shinobi standing next to her and made her shiver slightly, the other man seemed to feel this energy too and jerked anxiously at once.

A snorting could be heard and all of a sudden the attention of the two adults was back on the six-year-old.

"I think I misheard you.", started the heiress and let go of the Uchihas pants before she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "If you cannot trust your own police force, who can you still trust as a civilian? You act like the Uchihas are about to attack you, mister. You're very ungrateful to the police for keeping you safe in the village." Has he never been taught any manners ?

"You have no idea what they're capable of!" The bitter answer came and Sakura felt a trace of fear in his tone.

"Perhaps. But I know that they're strong enough to protect me in case of an emergency. That's all I need to know if I don't intend to go against them. And as long as I don't want to belong to the bad guys, I don't have to be afraid of the police, because their job is to protect me and not to attack me. If you, Mister, are not a bad person, you should apologize to Uchiha-san for your inappropriate behavior and the accompanying accusation! You weren't very nice to the friend and helper of the people of Konoha." At the end she nodded her head as if she wanted to underline her own words with it again, which is why she missed the surprised looks of both men. She didn't want to get into such a situation, but somehow these situations seemed to attract her.

Waiting, the rosy-haired  looked at the young man and raised one eyebrow. Whether he had lost his speech? After a while the man seemed to wake up from his rigidity and indicated a slight bow.

"For- Forgive m-my behavior, Uchiha-san. It was... inappropriate." A broad grin fell on Sakura's lips when she heard the apology, although it came timidly and somewhat reluctantly, but it was a start. Which apparently the Uchiha saw likewise.

"I'm accepting your apology. The girl here was right about what she said. Maybe you'll think about it some more and pass it on. Have a nice day." With a nod he seemed to declare the conversation over and turned his attention back to the child next to him.

Sakura herself looked at the young man for a moment and waved after him before she became aware of the Uchihas gaze.

"What?", she asked bluntly and pretended that what she had done and said was the most normal thing in the world. But all she got in return was a shake of his head. She didn't care for the time being, she wouldn't explain herself any further. Something told her this wasn't a good idea and she didn't want to be drawn into other people's affairs unnecessarily. No more than absolutely necessary at least.

"How about I buy you a cup of tea and dango, kiddo? As a thank you?" Surprised by the invitation, the rose-haired girl initially found no answer, so she simply stared at the Uchiha. He seemed to be amused by her sudden speechlessness. "Don't worry, I won't kidnap you or bite you. I was completely serious. I'm off duty soon, and next to the police station just across the entrance to the Uchiha district is one of the best dango shops in the village." Still undecided, but no longer completely surprised, the heiress nodded tentatively after a short hesitation. Since Mariko was on mission and her parents were busy as usual, Sakura was on her own. Within the village she should be safe as far as possible, her parents had meant and she had meant her words seriously earlier. She should be safest near a police shinobi, even if she would much rather have Mariko in her immediate vicinity. After all, she trusted the woman blindly, she knew her since she could think.

"Okay. Lead the way, Uchiha-san." And finally she was able to smile again.

One thing she had to admit to the village - it was huge and vast. They had been walking for whole 15 minutes until they finally arrived at the police station, and the closer they got to the building, the more people with black hair and eyes ran across her, who looked very, very much like her companion. She had read that the Uchiha-Clan had many members and surely only a part of them were on the streets and yet... There were so many!

Patiently she waited outside the house while her companion finished his shift. Now and then she noticed other Uchihas or people looking at her, but left it at that, preferring to hum to herself while waiting.

She could really use the tea and the dangos and was therefore very happy when her companion finally stepped out of the building again and led her to the Dango shop where he let her choose a place outside. When asked what kind of tea she would like, she answered him with "jasmine tea" and shortly after he disappeared inside the shop and Sakura looked at the surroundings, humming and in a good mood.

Until now she had not been in this part of the village, she had been much too busy to look around and besides it was enough if she knew the way to the park and home, at least if she was on her own. Maybe in time she would get the chance to take a closer look at all areas of Konoha. As far as she was informed, her newfound friends lived in different corners and clan properties of Konoha. Ino, Shikamaru and Chouji were clan heirs as well as she was, according to her teachers, which was why her parents were very pleased when they learned who she had befriended. No wonder that her parents agreed immediately when she asked if she could invite the three next to Naruto to her birthday party. The sound of clinking porcelain tore the young Haruno out of her thoughts and noted her companion had already returned with the placed order.

"Thank you, Uchiha-san.", a friendly smile fell on her lips as she looked at him and reached for her tea.

"All right, and Kagami will do. Otherwise, there might be confusion." For a moment the young heiress stared at the man, had to order and understand his words.

"Ah... then for Kagami-san just Sakura, too." Probably it was better to know his first name, since they were here near the Uchiha property and anyone could feel addressed as Uchiha-san. Still, it was a little unusual in Sakura's eyes that he had given her this offer so freely and he didn't look as if it would bother him. Rather, she believed he had a hint of amusement in his eyes when she had pronounced his name so hesitantly. Gee, it was easier to talk to children than to adults!

"Otou-san!" Sakura looked around when she heard an unknown voice. Then, in shock, she quickly widened her eyes. Where did the boy in front of her table suddenly come from? No one was there a minute ago! A throaty, dry laugh she could hear and it had to belong to Kagami, but she didn't turn around to check her theory. Instead, she still stared at the strange boy with big eyes as if he were a ghost.

"Shisui, now you've spooked my guest. Look at her. Not everyone is used to your speed." Kagami's voice sounded amused before it became more serious again. "Your mission went well, I take?"

Since Sakura still hadn't taken her eyes off the young teenager, she saw his nod at the question before she had the full attention of the unknown to her.

"If you keep staring like that, your eyes will fall out, Glooby.", the teenager grinned at her blatantly and looked like the looseness in person.

"How... I mean where? You weren't even on the spot and now you're just standing there... I mean how?!" Sakura was still dumbfounded. She knew she was now living in a ninja village, so she had to get used to a lot of things, but the guy was faster than Mariko-san! She just couldn't get used to it, it disturbed her so much that she even forgot her politeness. But that didn't seem to bother Kagami or the boy, because both tried to suppress a laugh. Sakura twisted her mouth slightly, now she had apparently made herself a laughing stock, but she couldn't help it. So many things were new to her. Growling inwards, she took her tea and sipped the hot drink while the two Uchihas exchanged a look at each other and came to rest again.

"How come you invited someone to dango's, Otou-san? You never socialize with people outside the clan." Inevitably, the relaxed atmosphere changed and Sakura realized how Kagami was stiffening a bit. The subject seemed to be sensitive, for she noticed a few other pairs of eyes looking at their table as well.

"Kagami-san approached me in the park.", started the youngest one at the table to tell and put her tea back on the table. "Then some guy I didn't know came up and said I'd better stay away from Kagami-san because ... I don't know what exactly he wanted to say, he said you can't trust Uchiha's." Again she noticed someone stiffening up. This time it seemed to be the young teenager, so what went wrong here?
"Well, and then I told the man my opinion that I don't like the way he treats Kagami-san as a representative of the shinobi police. When he said that I didn't know what they were capable of, I just said that I didn't need to know, until I was planning to become an evil person and that I trusted the police to protect me as a resident of Konoha. I then said that he should apologize for his behavior and when he did, Kagami-san here invited me." She shrugged her shoulders for a moment, not quite understanding what was so special about it, she had only done what was right in her eyes.

Without paying further attention to the two men, she took one of the dangos and when she tasted the first bite, she felt as if she was in heaven. They simply tasted incredibly delicious!

A movement directed her thoughts from the heavenly dessert back to the present and she suddenly found the teenager sitting next to his father.

"Now I understand why you invited her.", said this one with a grin and turned back to Sakura. "You're really something. You actually gave that guy a piece of your mind? I never thought I'd live to see this day." Why was he so amused by that? "I'm Uchiha Shisui, by the way, and this friendly policeman here is my dad." Not forgetting her etiquette this time, Sakura bowed her head when she introduced herself.

"Haruno Sakura. Pleased to meet you, Uchiha Shisui-san." Once again the young man laughed and she wondered what there was to laugh about.

"No need for unnecessary courtesy Sakura-chan. Shisui will do." This time she just nodded. It was unusual for her to address older people by their first names, especially when they suggested it to her themselves after only a few minutes. Maybe she had really been around old, stiffened diplomats and clan chiefs and village leaders too much in recent years.

Lost in thought, the rose-haired girl turned back to her tea and listened with half an ear to the father and son team. Shisui reported about some mission he had come back from and that nothing extraordinary had happened and that he wanted to train with his cousin later on. She herself did not really deal with the new information. Rather she thought about the strange behavior she had observed. She was not quite sure, but could, no, should she do something about it?

The rest of the conversation was surprisingly pleasant, if not entertaining. Sakura soon noticed that both Kagami and Shisui had a quite strong sense of humor. Both were quite different from the Uchihas who were on the road. They were more friendly, laughing and grinning in public or at least in her presence, while all the other Uchihas she saw seemed rather serious and tense. She didn't try to interpret too much into the behavior, but simply enjoyed the company. Even when her tea and the dangos were empty, they still sat around the table for a while and talked. Well, Shisui or his father rather talked, Sakura herself mostly just answered questions and listened, only asking when she hadn't understood something.

So she learned that Kagami had been working as a policeman for over a decade and couldn't really imagine anything else because he liked his job. His son, on the other hand, had chosen the classic shinobi career and even though he was only 14 years old, according to the stories he had climbed the ranks quite fast. But he didn't want to reveal which rank he currently held. It seems that this cousin had also climbed the ranks quickly, but she didn't like the expression in Shisui's eyes. They spoke a different language than the smile on his lips. Apparently, the rose-haired girl hadn't quite controlled her facial expressions, because the teenager mustered her thoughtfully and intensively, according to his statement.

"You all right? You're frowning, you better watch it before it gives you wrinkles like an old granny." As in the past, he used humour and jokes, but a certain seriousness remained for the young girl, even though she gave the black-haired man a mild smile.

"Don't worry, I won't get any so fast, and even if I did, who knows a child with wrinkles?" Her answer sounded quite teasing, similar to the question, before she responded to the actual question. "And yes, all is well. Kagami-san can confirm that he saw me brooding today as well. I think a lot for my age." For a moment, it remained silent at the table before Sakura turned back to the other two after a short look around. "I think it's time for me to go back home. It's getting pretty late, and I don't want to be late home. Kagami-san, Shisui-san..." "Shisui" she was interrupted, but ignored it. "it was a pleasure to meet you and thank you for this." With a gesture Kagami waved the polite words away and smiled at her instead.

"No need to thank me, I guess you know how to get back? Even if you did. Shisui you'll bring Cherry here home safely, understood? Then come back yourself and don't dawdle." With these words he rose and nodded to Sakura once more. "Until next time." And along with that he had already disappeared and suddenly the teenager who was supposed to take her home was standing next to her.

Bizarre. Sakura couldn't describe the walk home otherwise. As soon as the duo had left the street to the Uchiha district, the heiress could feel almost all the glances at her and how they bore into her back. For a while, she simply tried to ignore it, taking the example of the excited teenager next to her who either didn't notice the glances or skillfully passed them over without changing his mood. Secretly, Haruno believed that it was the latter and envied him for being so skillfully calm. She herself got more and more annoyed by these piercing glances as time went by. Was that normal in a village or did it have something to do with her? Or was there a completely different point? Was it perhaps her company or the clan itself? Not having a clue sucked!

She was so lost in thought she didn't realize that they had almost arrived at the Haruno compound and only got out of her thoughts when she felt a hand on her shoulder. As she checked, she realized the hand belonged to Shisui, who looked at her with a broad grin.

"Next time, Sakura-chan, you should pay more attention to the road, or you'll get lost. Not that I can't find you with your colorful hair. But seriously... I want to know what's going on in your head that's so amazing you're drifting away." No one could ignore the teasing undertone, so Sakura shook her head only amused.

"If I should ever get lost, I'm sure I'll find a shinobi or one of the police force who will gladly take me back home. And for my thoughts, shoo shoo, they'll stay with me." The girl couldn't resist to annoy Shisui a little bit, so she cheekily stuck out her tongue and grinned at him just as cheekily, which made the said teenager laugh. "But thanks for bringing me home, Shisui-san."
"Shisui", she was interrupted again.
"I'm sure we'll meet again, and thanks again to your father." While she was thanking, she had bowed slightly again and was about to turn away to walk when she stopped once more. "Ah... I'm meeting with some friends in the park tomorrow afternoon... If Shisui-san has time and inclination, he's welcome to come by. Thanks again and see you." With these words she quickly waved to the black-haired man and ran the last meters to the entrance of the main house, where she saw a person she knew standing.

"Good evening, Sakura-sama." The elderly lady in front of the main house bowed down when she addressed the young heiress, which Sakura answered with a friendly smile.

"Evening Himeko-san. I suppose my parents are still out?" The smile did not leave her lips as she spoke, though she bowed her head questioningly to the side before receiving a confirming nod from the lady.

"Your honorable parents will probably not be back until late tonight. I am also here to inform you that Mariko-san has returned from her mission." Beaming, the heiress looked at her clan member and nodded slightly.

"Thank you, Himeko-san. Enjoy your evening and tell your son that I hope his son gets well soon." With these words Sakura dismissed Himeko, but instead of entering the main house, she went directly to the side entrance of Mariko's house. It could be reached quickly through a small door in the fence. Since Sakura liked to sneak over to Mariko's house, a secret door was built into the fence which surrounded the Haruno clan's grounds. Exactly this connection was used by the young cherry blossom to pave her way to her nanny. Hardly had she entered the house through the side entrance than she had already taken off her shoes and ran joyfully towards the living area where she thought Mariko was.

"Mariko-san! You're back!" The young heiress exclaimed euphorically when she discovered the black shock of hair of her confidante and immediately threw herself into the outstretched arms of the young woman, so that it escaped her completely that she was not alone at all.

"I told you I'd be back by tonight, Sakura-chan." Replied the young adult and tousled through the pink hair, which earned her a giggle of the child.

"I didn't know you had a child." Both women suddenly heard another deeper voice and Sakura almost jumped out of the embrace she was in out of surprise.

"Sakura-chan is not my child, Genma-san. I'm not that old yet. She's my employer's daughter and sort of my foster child. I've been in charge of her safety since she was 1 year old." While Mariko explained the relationship between them, Sakura eyed the stranger man sitting on Mariko's couch. He had almost shoulder-length brown hair, which was largely covered by a dark blue bandana. His gaze seemed quite disinterested due to drooping eyelids, but the most striking thing for the young heiress was the needle-like thing in his mouth the man was chewing on. Without really noticing it, the two stared at each other silently for a while before Mariko stepped in.

"This is Shiranui Genma, he was with me on the mission and will probably accompany me on other missions from time to time. Genma-san, this is Haruno Sakura. The daughter of Mebuki and Kizashi Haruno and the person I'm protecting." A strange sound escaped the man before the corner of his mouth lifted and he gave her a wry grin. The young cherry blossom herself took a slight bow, not forgetting her manners.

"Nice to meet you, Shiranui-san." She wanted to say even more that he should please take care of her nanny on missions, but she swallowed the comment. She did not know the man in front of her, so she could hardly ask him for something like that.

A hand on her head made Sakura turn her attention from Genma to Mariko and looked at her questioningly.

"I suppose you're hungry and your parents are still out?" When Mariko received a nod to confirm, she smiled softly. "Well, let's start with the food. You're invited to stay for dinner too, Genma-san." And with further confirmation, both girls disappeared into the kitchen to prepare the said dinner.
During the meal, the mood at the table was quite lively. Sakura talked about her day and the encounters she had made and the two young adults shared a little bit about their mission and a few mistakes that had happened on the way back which made the pink haired girl laugh. Even Genma couldn't hide the one or other amused grunt from her. It was nice and Sakura loved these evenings, far from the perfectionism she had been raised to. With Mariko, she didn't have to pay attention to how she acted, what she said or did in private. She could just be herself and enjoy her time, which was why she especially appreciated these moments.

After the meal she helped to clear and clean up before saying goodbye to the two adults with the words that she still had to read and prepare some things for the next day. She had disappeared through the door so quickly that she didn't notice Genma's questioning gaze and didn't see Mariko's headshake anymore. Arriving at her family home she started her evening routine. She got ready for the night, went into the living room and prepared everything else for the next day. She didn't even notice how she became increasingly tired while reading and fell asleep on the sofa before her parents came home late at night.

Smiling, Kizashi and Mebuki looked at their peacefully sleeping daughter beside notes and books before Kizashi carefully lifted his princess up and brought her to her own bed. The next morning she would woke up in her own four walls and in her warm bed, wondering how she had got there at all.

Chapter Text

Fortunately, the days leading up to her birthday were quite pleasant for Sakura. The day after her meeting with Kagami and Shisui Uchiha, as well as Genma Shiranui - two days before her birthday - the young heiress woke up confused in her own room. Hadn't she been in the living room on the couch? She didn't have much time, however, when she took a look at her alarm clock and realized her first lesson would soon begin. A bit clumsy she kicked her blanket off and sprinted into the bathroom to get ready before she stepped into the kitchen and discovered her parents were off again. At least they had provided her with some food, for which she was more than grateful. Just after she had eaten up, there was a knocking at the door and judging by the time, Sakura already guessed who would be standing there.

Her morning was spent learning as usual. While she had always learned the most important things about a country and its villages on her journey, now all areas were deepened. Historical knowledge about Konoha and Hi no Kuni in general. The political and economic development of the country and its villages, the relations to other nations, even the population development and health status were part of her curriculum. A heavy cost, considering that the young girl would only be seven years old and had to deal with something like this since she could think. The Cherry Blossom had certainly not chosen it, but she accepted it. The knowledge was necessary if she would later take over the duties of her parents and take up her inheritance. She also enjoyed knowing things that most people had forgotten. According to Mariko, information was extremely valuable and useful and she believed Mariko, which is why she studied all the more diligently. Who knew when a now meaningless information would save her life or that of others.

She spent the afternoon in the park together with her newfound friends. Ino and Naruto had been there before her, and as they took turns using the swing, they told each other about the things they had done recently. Naruto, in particular, reported vividly on the pranks he played on the shinobis and almost fell off the swing, gesturing as wildly as he did with his arms if Shisui hadn't appeared and caught him. She hadn't even seen him coming, but she wasn't quite as flustered after the last meeting because of his speed, unlike her friends who stared at him with their mouths open. The Haruno heiress could not help but giggle softly and exhilaratingly at the sight of her friends. She could imagine too well that she had looked exactly the same when she was confronted with Shisui for the first time. Of course she had to explain afterwards who the guy was and where she knew him from and where he had come from anyway. The questions went on and on and in the end it was Shisui who was amused about her situation.

Fortunately, the flood of questions ebbed away after a while and Sakura soon found herself in a new round of questions. This time, however, it was about her own birthday party and things like: who is coming, what she wishes for and what to wear. Honest as she was, she confessed she had no real idea who exactly was coming, except her friends. Assuming that her parents would not abuse her birthday for political interactions, she didn't. They had been travelling for too long and new contacts and connections had to be made. So the birthday of the Haruno heiress was just the right thing. But Sakura would have been happy to spend her time only with her family and friends without any obligations, so that she could just be a child for one day. So she told the others they would give her a present if they would just show up. She didn't need gifts. The presence of her friends was enough for her and was more than she could have hoped for the last years. As the day drew to a close Mariko-san picked her up and even before she ran towards her confidante she invited Shisui and his father to her birthday party. It hadn't escaped her notice that the black-haired man had stiffened up a bit when she mentioned she didn't know who would come to her party. She didn't know the reasons behind it. Hadn't inquired either, but when she gave him the verbal invitation, he smirked and ruffled her hair, saying they would come because it would be a crime to refuse the invitation from such a unique cherry blossom. And with these words he had already flicked away.

The day before her birthday, however, was quite uneventful. In the morning she had lessons on the agenda and afterwards she had a few hours just with Mariko-san before she was asked to return to the main house. She spent the next few hours trying on different kimonos and yukatas to find the one that suits her for the big day. Her objections, however, that she didn't want to wear a kimono because she couldn't move sufficiently in them, were not heard at first. She suspected her birthday was an occasion to present her to the other clans and she should be dressed up for it. But she refused to put on an impractical kimono when she would finally have children her own age around her. At least she wanted to have some fun on her special day, which was why, despite her good upbringing, she refused to put on another expensive and heavy kimono. Only afterwards her objections were heard and eventually her parents agreed to a light, but no less eye-catching and glamorous Yukata, as long as she wouldn't mess with her hair ornaments. Something she could live with.

While the last preparations for the next day were made towards evening, Mebuki and Kizashi went through all the etiquette with their daughter once again and also the clans settled in Konoha with their heads and heirs. The last fact alone told the young Haruno that she had to prepare herself for high-ranking visitors whom she had not invited herself. She could only hope to enjoy a little more freedom and pleasure at her own birthday party than she had in recent years. But even the last day before her big day drew to a close and she found herself brooding in her room, her stuffed rabbit pressed against her chest. Hopefully tomorrow will be a beautiful day. One I can enjoy. With these thoughts she pressed her stuffed animal once more firmly to herself and closed her eyes before she drifted off into the land of dreams.

In contrast to her normal daily routine, the pinkhead was allowed to sleep longer than usual on her birthday. She wouldn't get any lessons in the morning hours, so she was allowed to sleep in more or less. However, Sakura couldn't sleep out more than two hours because her body woke up by itself. Over time he had slowly but steadily got used to getting up early. No wonder when she opened her eyes, she was a little confused before she realized what kind of day it was and therefore slept longer than usual. A joyful smile fell on her face at the thought that today was her birthday. She jumped out of her bed in high spirits and ran out of her room looking for her parents, dressed only in her pyjamas.

She found her mother after a short time in the living area. Mebuki had heard her daughter's quick steps from afar and turned to the door just at the moment when her child must have seen her. A warm smile had settled on the features of the older ones. Her daughter's joy was contagious, so to speak, and without further ado, the female head of the Harunos crouched down and held her arms open before her. Of course, Sakura didn't miss this invitation and stormed into the arms of her mother, who embraced her lovingly.

"Happy birthday, Cherry. How's my little, big girl feeling today?" The loving and gentle voice of her mother whispers against Sakura's ear, which then pressed even closer to the blonde. It wasn't often that Sakura saw this gentleness from Mebuki, the happier she was when she could enjoy these moments alone with her. Even if the young heiress knew her parents loved her, it were these rare moments when she could feel it clearly. It were exactly these moments that allowed her to continue despite all adversities and efforts, to bear the weight of her duties, because it was exactly at these times that she realized how loved she really was and not alone.

"Thank you Okaa-san. I've slept in and am looking forward to today. The first year I can celebrate with other kids. I'm more excited than ever!" she mumbled into the crook of her mother's neck and made no effort to let go. For a while she still wanted to feel the warmth and closeness of her mother, she knew that when her guests arrived at the latest, these tributes would be replaced by a professional aura. An understanding humming could be heard.

"It's a completely different thing from the last few years, so it' s natural to be excited. What do you think about going to see your father and then asking Mariko to come over so we can have breakfast together and I'll set the table, huh?"

As much as the young cherry blossom would have liked to maintain her mother's embrace, she just as much wanted to throw herself into her father's arms without being scolded for it, because such boisterous behaviour was not befitting the heiress of a diplomat. So she nodded and then separated from her mother.

"Breakfast sounds great Okaa-san. Especially since it's been a while since we sat together at the table as a family." With these words Sakura turned around and ran with clumsy steps to find her father. She didn't have to look for him for long. He had heard his daughter's quick footsteps from far away and therefore stepped out of his office. Not that his little angel disturbed the order in his office when she flew in like the wind. "Oto-san!" he heard the joyful voice of his daughter and caught her with an amused snort when she threw herself into his arms.

"Hello, princess, someone's in a good mood today, huh? I wonder why that is?" Like his daughter, Kizashi was in a good mood. The laughter of his princess was infectious and even he couldn't escape her charm all the time, yet he didn't mind teasing her from time to time. Especially on days like this, when he was only within the scope of his small family. A day he more or less renounced his duties so that he could enjoy the birthday of his little angel. For a while he was just a normal father, without a clan and without obligations that weighed on his shoulders and that he had to take care of. He was a simple civilian and could therefore allow himself to show his own needs and feelings. Within his small family and at times like these it was possible and he guessed his little princess appreciated and loved these moments as much as he and Mebuki did. For her age, Sakura was quite smart and understood more than anyone would have expected. Sometimes Kizashi was bitter at the thought he was partly to blame that his little princess had to grow up faster than other children in her age group and at the same time he was so incredibly proud of her. Not once had she complained about her life, even though she admitted that she missed children her age and not once was she angry with him or her mother for the fate she had inherited. She understood what her position meant, what it meant to be the heiress of the Harunos, and although she was forced to act like an adult, she had never lost her childlike nature completely. The head of the family was more than just grateful for this and all the more special were those precious moments when his family could simply be themselves.

"Moe Oto-san! I'm 7 years old today, so I can only be in a good mood!" In his arms Sakura tries to pull an offended face because of his joking, which caused Kizashi to suppress an upcoming laughter.

"Like I could forget your birthday, Cherry. Congratulations on your big day princess. You wanna bring Mariko over before we have breakfast?" The beaming face and the shining eyes were answer enough when he set his daughter down on the floor and brushed through her hair once more before he let her run off again. The fact that she was still only wearing her pajamas didn't bother Sakura in the least when she stepped through the not-so-secret door which separated the Haruno property from the rest of the village and led straight to Mariko's house. Without thinking further, she ran to the side door and ripped it open with a loud "Good morning Mariko-san," before entering the house of her confidant. At first she received no answer and could not find anyone in the living room or kitchen. The heiress drew her eyebrows in confusion before she was suddenly lifted from behind and whirled through the air. Which elicited a cheerful laugh from her after she realized who had sneaked up on her.

"Happy birthday, Sakura-chan." She heard Mariko's warm and relaxed voice after she had stopped whirling her around. Instead, she held the younger one by her arm and gave her a tender kiss on the top of her head.

"Thank you, Mariko-san. I thought you ran away from me when I couldn't find you! Okaa-san and Oto-san said to pick you up for breakfast! It's been ages since we all had breakfast together at the same table! Without you, we'd just be missing something." Sakura felt how the young woman squeezed her once more and then put her down again.

"Well, let's not keep your parents waiting, and I'm sure you could probably eat the whole table by yourself, huh?" In support of this statement, Sakura's tummy also started to rumble loudly, causing a red veil of embarrassment to spread across her features. A giggle could be heard from the black-haired woman, so that Sakura's red tone only deepened.

"Don't make fun of me, Mariko-san! I've gone past my breakfast time for two hours! My stomach just screams for food! Maybe you should be careful so I don't eat all your food at breakfast!" This time it was the rose-haired one who smiled amusedly and then led the elder to the door. It was time for them to return to the main house. After all, a sumptuous breakfast was waiting for them and her parents! They couldn't just dawdle around, they would certainly have time to do so while eating. Besides, Sakura wanted to enjoy her time in the presence of her most important family members without having to worry about whether she was behaving exemplary or not. If she had the chance, she wanted to enjoy as much as possible of these carefree moments, preferably surrounded by the people she had known all her life and who were most important to her.

It was therefore not surprising that Mariko was easily dragged along. After all, she had known the cherry blossom since she was a baby and she knew how important such moments were to her, even if the heiress never said it clearly. But she did not have to, her reactions were answer enough. And with a light-hearted smile the two of them entered the main house where they were warmly welcomed by Mebuki and Kizashi and together they enjoyed the sumptuous breakfast in their little circle, free of all burdens and the air filled with the happy, light-hearted laughter of Sakura.

It was around noon when the small family decided to declare breakfast over. They had dragged out their meal together as far as they could, talking and laughing a lot until reality caught up with them. Sakura's guests would arrive in a few hours and a lot of things had to be prepared until then.

"So Sakura-chan, off to the bathroom with you. You can't walk around in pajamas all day, no matter how comfortable they are. Go ahead and take a bath. I'll send someone to do your hair and help you with your yukata." With these words Sakura was bid farewell and sprinted into the bathroom while her mother cleaned up the kitchen and her father retired to his office to settle the last affairs for the day. Mariko helped Mebuki in the kitchen before she too returned to her own four walls. Just in time for her protégé's actual birthday party, she would be back at the Haruno estate.

Sakura did as she was told and took a bath. She briefly considered which of the various skin care oils she should use, but then decided against it. A simple hot bath would suffice and while waiting for the bathtub to fill, she used the time to clean her body before slipping into the warm and soothing water. With a pleasant sigh she sank deeper into the water and for a while she just let herself drift in her thoughts. So far the day went as she had wished and hopefully it would continue to go on like this. A knock on the bathroom door tore the rose-haired girl from her strayed thoughts.

"Sakura-sama your parents sent me to get you ready for the festivities." The voice of one of her clan members came muffled through the door. Apparently, she had taken a bath for a really long time, Sakura didn't even have an idea how late it was now.

"I'll be right there." Her answer was friendly, even if Sakura would have liked to stay in the water a little longer, but when she thought she would soon have her friends around her, the longing for the warm and relaxing water was soon forgotten. With a towel wrapped around her petite body, the heiress stepped out of the bathroom and then into her own room, where the already mentioned clan member was waiting and gave her a politely distant smile. 

Sakura could easily do without dressing up if she had her way. Unfortunately, she couldn't avoid it and therefore let it pass without complaint. Creams for body and face were spread out in front of her and without complaining she did what was expected of her. Not that she didn't want to pay attention to her appearance, but in her eyes all these beauty products were a waste of time and money. Simple moisturizers were enough in her opinion. Fortunately, her mother didn't push her to use more of the products. She wanted to keep it simple, like Mariko-san. 

After she had applied the cream and everything had been absorbed into her skin, she had to get dressed. She was still happy to have made her decision to wear a Yukata and not a kimono. This did not take too much room to move and was much more comfortable. She didn't feel as if she was carrying tons of unnecessary material around with her that only slowed her down. Her hair, however, was a completely different matter. No sooner had she put on her yukata than she was placed on a stool in front of a large mirror and the endless procedure of a proper hairstyle began.

With a comb and a bowl of hot water single strands of her hair were combed smooth. An unpleasant thing when knots were combed out. Little by little her pink hair was put up, and the strands were fixed with beautiful and expensive accessories. Only the wisps of hair that surrounded her face were not tied tightly, but fell slightly curled down the sides of her face. One last time she was inspected by the woman before she could make out a satisfied nod. Finally the procedure was over and Sakura stepped out of the room with a quick step. Not that the lady changed her mind.

Sakura didn't have to wait long for her first guests. As soon as she heard a knocking at the front door, a servant opened the door for the arriving guests, while the heiress bowed slightly to greet them.

"Welcome Yamanaka-sama, Nara-sama and Akimichi-sama. I am glad you have accepted the invitation. Come in and make yourselves at home. Renya-san will show you the way to the garden." With her words she pointed to the clan member and gave the arriving clan leaders a shallow smile before she heard her friend's joyful and excited voice and found herself in a close embrace.

"Saku-chan! Happy birthday! And don't you dare say those polite things to us! Besides, Dad can handle not being treated like an important leader for once. But apart from that, you look great, Saku-chan. You see, dad, I told you a kimono would be too much. After all, I know Sakura better than you." Ino just started babbling and with her commentary she reaped some amused chuckles. Sakura couldn't help herself either, especially when she heard a 'troublesome' from Shikamaru.

"Ino, next time you shouldn't just mug your girlfriend, but my daughter is right. No need for unnecessary courtesy. Inoichi will do, Sakura. That goes for Shikaku and Chouza too. And we have to thank you for inviting us. Ino-chan couldn't talk about anything else for the past few days." The words had barely left Inoichi's mouth when everyone heard an outraged "Dad" from the Yamanaka heiress, whereupon everyone laughed for a moment.

"Just like you mean Ya... Inochi-san and Shikaku-san and Chouza-san, if that's all right?" Sakura's statement sounded more like a cautious question whether she was really allowed to address the clan leaders by their first names. When she received a nod from everyone as confirmation, she exhaled with relief and left the adults to Renja before turning to the three heirs.

She was about to say something to the three of them when the next knocking sounded and as soon as the door was opened, all they heard was a loud "Sakura-chan HappyBirthdayToYou " and a muffled thud on the floor when a blond whirlwind knocked his first female friend to the ground with a hug.

"Sakura-sama" she heard the woman at the entrance worried, but Sakura waved her off with her free hand.

"All is well. No harm done" Barely had the Haruno pronounced the words when Naruto got a head slap from Ino.

"We want some Sakura too, Naruto! You can't just run her over! What if she was hurt?!" Frightened and slightly embarrassed, the soon-to-be Chaosninja saw from Sakura to Ino and back again.

"Sorry, but I was just so happy! It's the first birthday party I've been invited to." A hand on his shoulder drew his attention to Sakura, who gave him a warm smile after he had stood up and looked down in shame, making it easier for Naruto.

"Like I said, everything's fine. How about you guys head out to the garden? I'll join you as soon as all the guests have arrived and I've greeted them. Just go through the house. I bet you'll like the garden! But stay out of the rose bed if you don't want to get in trouble with my Okaa-san." Smiling, Sakura looked after her four friends and turned to the elderly lady at the entrance with an amused grin. "I won't be bored today." Explained the heiress and got a big grin back for it.

Little by little more and more guests came, some she had invited herself and then some she had not invited, but apparently her parents. Nevertheless, she greeted everyone with a warm and friendly smile and the same grateful words that spoke of how nice it was that they had made it to her party. The garden filled up quickly and when no more guests arrived, Sakura also made her way to the garden. After all, it was her birthday party.

Sakura was just stepping through the door leading out to the garden when she saw two children out of the corner of her eye, not yet known to her, standing close to an adult whom she could identify as Hyuuga Hiashi. The head of the Hyuuga clan was clearly invited by her parents, for she herself had not had any contact with the clan before. But this didn't mean she didn't know about the clan. If her memory didn't deceive her, the girl was Hyuuga Hinata - heiress of the clan and the somewhat older boy Hyuuga Neji - cousin of Hinata and member of the branch clan. Why a clan was divided into main- and branch-family was still a mystery to Sakura, but she felt it even more unjust on this day, so she approached them directly and stopped in front of them.

"Hinata-san? Neji-san?" she addressed the two Hyugas in a friendly manner, ignoring Hiashi's stern and disapproving look and waited to get their attention. "You don't have to stand here with the adults, come with me and I'll introduce you to my friends. You are my guests like everyone else and I am sure we will get along well together. Hyuuga-sama will certainly not mind, after all I am the birthday child and you are not out of sight. Come." She had briefly glanced at the said head and then grabbed a hand each of Hinata and Neji before Hiashi could say anything or the children could protest. Only when they were out of earshot, Sakura let go of the hands and turned to them.

"I hope you won't hold it against me that I just dragged you along, but I thought if I didn't, either Hyuuga-sama or you would object, and I wanted to avoid that. By the way, I meant my words seriously, so I would like to introduce you to my friends. Ranks don't matter here today, at least not to me, and you are free to act as you wish towards others as long as it's not serious insults or something like that. I would hate to see this celebration come to an unpleasant end. Not only do I want to enjoy the party, but I hope all my guests do, too." Her eyes wandered from Neji to Hinata and both stood there as if they couldn't believe what they heard from her mouth.

"Ah... i-i-is th-th-that t-truly ok, S-sak-ura-san?" Hinata's voice was little more than a whisper, and the Haruno heiress had to listen carefully to understand her.

"Of course, Hinata-san. I am happy about every new friend I can make, no matter where they come from. For almost seven years I had no friends my own age, so I want all my friends to enjoy the day, free from whatever may or may not be weighing on their shoulders. This also applies to Neji-san. Come on, the others are waiting!" And with that she grabbed the two Hyuugas again and ran with them to her friends and their friends who had gathered under a cherry tree in the back of the garden.

While the children were playing with each other in the garden, the adults talked in groups, ate and drank from the buffet and watched the playing pack with different looks. Shikaku was surprised at how active his boy was around his peers, but didn't think anything bad about it, and his two friends Chouza and Inoichi seemed satisfied, even when their children played together with Naruto. Others, on the other hand, didn't seem happy with the situation and if Shikaku interpreted Hiashi's gaze correctly, he was more than just tense as his daughter and nephew were drawn by the Haruno heiress to the playing children, especially Naruto. Since then, he had hardly let the children out of his sight, much like some others.

The older generation after all knew about the demon which was sealed in Naruto and the fear of the Kyuubi made the adults blind to reality. The reality that Naruto was a simple boy and not the nine-tailed demon which destroyed much of Konoha and had the Yondaime and his wife on his conscience, as well as many other inhabitants of Konoha.

It wasn't like Shikaku couldn't understand the fear and anxiety, but the child couldn't be blamed for it, but who was he to explain it to others? That was far too much effort and tedious. It was all the better that his son had made friends with Naruto, and watching Sakura treating all the children present equally, laughing and playing with them... he slowly began to understand why his son continued to stay close to her despite some skepticism. But Shikaku doubted that young Haruno would treat Naruto differently if she found out the truth behind the blond boy.

At least that was what his instincts told him and so far it had never deceived him. After all, she tried to put all the children present on the same level, even the children from civil families who were invited. Their parents were even more unhappy about Naruto's presence than the Hyuuga head, but the children seemed to thaw more and more towards the blond. Perhaps this was an intention of the heiress? But to confirm his assumption, he would have to observe her for a while longer. He might be a genius, but not everyone was easy to read or understand and he would take the time to analyze the young heiress and her intentions. Safe was safe.

The party had been going on for a while when Mariko went to see her protégé.

"Sakura-chan. I'm afraid I'll have to steal you away from your friends for a while. Your parents would like to introduce you to some other guests." Aware of her duties, Sakura gave the young woman a slight lifting of the corners of her mouth. Not that she wouldn't have preferred to stay with her friends, but she knew she had to take care of her grown-up guests as well, at least for a while, so she apologized to her peers with a small formal explanation and followed Mariko to her parents.

The following meetings and conversations were superficial familiarizations and mild political discussions, nothing Sakura didn't know from her other birthdays. Therefore it was not difficult for her to keep up with the adults and to present her point of view and standpoints. The proud glint in her parents' eyes was enough for her to know that she satisfied them.

Between their conversations and further forced congratulations to her by persons unknown to her from the civilian council, Shisui and his father had also turned up. However, she hadn't found the time to greet them both personally. She was in a monotonous but oh so important conversation, which made it impossible for her to approach the two Uchihas. Eventually she was able to politely apologize from her interlocutors and briefly searched the garden for her new guests before she heard the deep and clearly not edified voice of one man, Hyuuga Hiashi.

"I wasn't told uchihas been invited to the event. It's bad enough the demon child is here and being set upon the children. I didn't expect them to voluntarily invite thought manipulating doujutsu users..." The young heiress didn't listen any further when she noticed that Shisui had discovered her. For a moment, she frowned, before a broad smile spread on her lips and she approached the two Uchihas and thus Hiashi.

"Kagami-san! Shisui-san! I'm glad you guys could make it. I was afraid you wouldn't accept my invitation! Even Naruto and Ino asked for you, Shisui-san! Playing catch is much more fun when you're there. Even though your speed is really unfair" With these words, she stopped between the Uchihas and Hiashi, gave the two black-haired men an honest and sincere smile, and then turned to the Hyuuga head thoughtfully and seriously.

"Is there a problem Hyuuga-sama? It seems to me that you're upset. May I ask of the reason?" Controlling her facial expressions, Sakura tried not to let on that she had heard his words before, but looked at the head brooding as if she had no idea what was going on. She didn't break the eye contact, even when she didn't get an answer at first.

"All is well. The presence of some people is somewhat disturbing, nothing more." For Hiashi, the subject was over with as he was about to turn to walk when Sakura's voice stopped him, when she addressed him with a seriousness of voice that most children of her age did not have.

"My regret that Hyuuga-sama cannot enjoy the festivities properly. But I assure you none of the guests here present will harm anyone. As Hyuuga-sama may have noticed, there are not only shinobic clan leaders and their heirs present, but also important civil figures from the village, as well as some non-significant persons. Some of them have been invited by me personally to this celebration, including Uzumaki-san and the two Uchiha-san's. I would like to remind you that the Haruno clan property is considered a neutral zone. Therefore, accusations of any kind should better be kept under lock and key towards my guests. I will not tolerate it if I learn one of my guests is harassing another guest. As long as someone is on the Haruno property, everyone should be treated with the respect they would like to be treated. Otherwise, I will have said guest escorted to the exit. I hope I have made myself clear. Please continue to enjoy the celebration, Hyuuga-sama" With a diplomatic smile and a nod, the Haruno turned away from the Hyuuga and at the next moment beamed at the two Uchihas present.

"I apologize for the inconvenience. Let me know if anything like this happens again today. Otherwise, help yourself and enjoy it. I bet Shisui-san will be the hero of the kids present in ten minutes at the latest. Even among children from civilian families, Shunshin-Shisui is known! Shisui-san's going to get all the attention and claim my spotlight!" What was supposed to sound like a reproach came out as anything else, whereupon she was once whirled around in circles by said teenager.

"Like I'm gonna steal the spotlight off Cherry-chan on her special day! On all other days gladly, but certainly not today! And if I have to carry Cherry-chan around on my shoulders the rest of the day to keep her in the beam of light! I will not let you be pushed off the pedestal today." The little speech of the Uchihas caused a cheerful giggle among Sakura and his father. Sakura could imagine exactly how Shisui would carry her around like a real princess, just to keep her in the center of attention.

"Don't promise what you can't keep, Shisui-san." She teased the older one. But she hadn't counted on what happened next. Without further ado, the heiress was lifted up by the said ninja and carried through the garden in bridal style, causing Sakura to plead in bright red that he should let her down.

"No chance, Cherry-chan. Challenge was accepted, you have to go through it now," Shisui smirked and made no effort to depose the heiress again, just to entertain the guests who were watching the spectacle amused.

Contrary to her actual protest, Sakura couldn't deny that she liked the action. Shisui, although he was much older, was as sociable as her other friends, even though she was aware that behind the carefree facade he showed them, there was a serious and intelligent teen. And that was something the young Haruno appreciated more than others of her age would suspect, but that was fine with her and better kept secret. Still red in the face, Sakura buried her face in the high collar of Shisui's top, which made the teenager giggle even more.

"Don't mock me, Shisui-san! You're mean. I'll have to listen to that for weeks!" And it was a fact. After all, Ino Yamanaka was her friend and she would never miss the chance to tease her in a friendly way and probably the adults would talk about it the rest of the week because it was too sweet or something like that. Sakura had no idea how to get out of it and still she couldn't turn off the pleasant warm feeling that was spreading inside her. It had nothing to do with the black-haired man or her birthday, but rather with the friendly faces, the exuberant laughter of those present and the carefree atmosphere that made her feel that way. Never before had she felt so comfortable and never before had a birthday been so fulfilling for her. She could only hope she would feel this way even more often and maybe it was really a sign that she had finally found a home. Time would give her an answer as always. But before the girl could continue to indulge in her thoughts, she heard Naruto calling out to Shisui to let her down. A cautious look from the side and Haruno caught a look on Shisui's face that clearly indicated that he was planning something.

"No, don't you dare, Shisui-san! Whatever you're planning, no! -” Even before she could finish speaking, the elder called out to the blond boy that he had to catch him before he would let his cherry-chan out of his grip and used shunshin to gain some distance to the other children. It's only logical that pretty much everyone chased after them afterwards and Sakura helplessly acted as a motivating hostage.

It was late in the evening when the last guests were on their way home and Sakura was tired while preparing for the night. Carefully she fished her accessories out of her hair, combed it once properly and carefully placed the valuables on the shelf next to the sink. After taking off her yukata, she washed the dirt of the day off, brushed her teeth and put on her pyjamas before wishing her parents good night and briefly escorted back to her room by Mariko.

"Did you have a nice day, Sakura-chan?" asked the young woman and could only smile contentedly at her protégé's happy and satisfied expression.

"Yes, and very much so. That was the best birthday I ever had, Mariko-san! I..." A yawn suppressed the flow of speech the Haruno heiress wanted to build up. "I've never had so much fun and..." Once again a yawn could be heard. "It felt warm Mariko-san and light. I want... I want to keep that feeling." At the end she suppressed another yawn without success, which made Mariko chuckle softly.

"I am glad you had such a wonderful day and I am sure many more will follow. Now go to sleep, Sakura-chan. It's been a long day for you. Good night." And with these words Mariko gently pressed her lips against Sakura's forehead and then covered her properly before quietly walking out of the room, turning off the light behind her and closing the door.

Chapter Text

The weeks after her seventh birthday passed her by in a flash and soon Sakura found herself in the mid-summer of Konoha. Over the weeks and months that had passed, young Haruno had continued to build and deepen her friendships. Somehow she had managed to stay in contact with the two Hyuugas Neji and Hinata, which she was happy about, even though she still did not like Hiashi. She hadn't forgotten his words against her friends Naruto, Kagami and Shisui, but that wasn't the only reason why she didn't like being near the head of the Hyuuga Clan. The few times she had visited Hinata and Neji at the Hyuuga estate had shown her another side of the head and she did not understand why Hiashi was so strict and almost inhuman towards Hinata. The girl was lovely, sweet, kind and meant no harm to anyone. Apparently not good qualities of an heiress from a shinobi clan. Neji on the other hand was treated more like a servant who had to make sure that the heiress was well. Honestly, what was wrong with this clan? As much as she tried to find more information about the Hyuuga Clan, she couldn't find more than the information she already knew. At least nothing to help her understand Hiashi and his actions. The happier she was when they were allowed to visit her at the Haruno estate. Both Neji and Hinata were very different at her place than in their own compound and it hurt Sakura's soul every time she saw them leave. The change in their facial expressions and attitudes was obvious to her, but she couldn't do more than to show them the freedom behind the fences of the Haruno compound every now and then and let them experience it, even if only for a short time.

The longer she stayed in Konoha, the more she became aware of things which in her eyes were anything but normal. First it was the behavior of the civilians towards the Uchihas, then the Hyuugas came along, who were already so unfair to each other that it hurt Sakura's heart when she saw her friends and how they were treated. There was also the adults' attitude towards Naruto, which she could not explain, and hardly anyone treated him like a child without parents. He was constantly being called a monster or a demon, which was complete nonsense! Fortunately, there were people around her who didn't care about the things that seemed so unjust to the Haruno. Without her friends, Sakura wouldn't know what to think. There were so many things she couldn't and didn't want to see, her friends helped her to keep a calm head. Thanks to them, the feeling of injustice she felt disappeared, because among them there was nothing that felt wrong for the Haruno. Everyone accepted each other and even the parents of her friends, with the exception of the Hyuugas, began to treat the children equally.

Sakura remembered the first time she visited Ino with Choji, Shikamaru and Naruto. While Inoichi had greeted them all with a smile, Ino's mother was more reserved and had looked at Naruto with skepticism. Ino's mother did not treat the blond chaotic boy with hostility but her behavior towards him could not be called friendly either. She hadn't yet found an answer to the ever-recurring question of why, and the adults didn't seem willing to help her solve it. At least Inoichi's wife wasn't cold-hearted towards Naruto, and over time the way she treated Naruto changed much to Sakura's delight. After all, Sakura didn't expect everyone to love Naruto, but accepting and respecting it was not too much to ask, especially in a village that saw itself as one big family.

If she didn't have time to meet her friends because she had to accompany her parents or was busy learning, she was always informed about past events at the next meeting. And Sakura would be lying if she said that she wasn't proud of her friends when they told unfriendly villagers what they thought, when they said inappropriate things to Naruto or to Shisui and Kagami. Slowly but surely the climate within Konoha changed, at least from what Sakura saw and perceived. However, she still didn't know if it was a good or bad change, so she had asked Mariko for a talk.

She loved her nanny almost as much as her parents, after all she had been around all her life and had cared for and looked after her from a very young age. Sometimes she spent more time with Mariko than with her own parents. In the beginning she had never understood it, had always been infinitely sad when her parents pressed her into Mariko's arms, but eventually she accepted it and her confidante explained to Sakura why she could spend so little time with her parents. Since then, the young Haruno had clung on more and more to her nanny, and the older one became not only a friend but almost something like a big sister for Sakura over the years. One she never wanted to miss in her life, even though the heiress knew Mariko was not a Haruno and was actually only with them because it was her mission for which she was paid. But the young Kunoichi had always assured her that Sakura was more than just a job for her. She had known the young girl since she was a few weeks old and had looked after her. Had watched her grow and followed her every step and success at close quarters. She even had a share in the growing abilities of her protégé herself, she couldn't prevent that she had built up a bond with the girl, and even if she would be released from her role as guardian, she would still want to continue to care for the young Haruno and take care of her. This girl had sneaked into her heart at the age of seven so much that Mariko couldn't imagine a life without Sakura anymore, and vice versa. The two of them had tied such a tight bond together there was hardly anything left to fit in between, so it was no wonder that Sakura sought advice from the black-haired woman on her day off.

It was after lunch that the two women went together into the garden of Mariko's house, spread a blanket in the meadow and made themselves comfortable. They remained silent for a while, enjoying the sun on their skin and the sounds around them. They heard the hustle and bustle on the street in front of the house and could make out shadows of shinobis here and there, jumping from roof to roof. Also some birds and insects could be heard. It was a beautiful, warm summer day and Sakura knew days like this made people forget all too readily that not everything was as peaceful and harmonious as it seemed. Even though she didn't understand everything yet and couldn't understand many things, one thing she knew and it was the fact that not everything was as it seemed. But she did not understand why.

"Mariko-san?" The young Haruno heiress attracted attention after a while and turned her head to the side to look at the older one. "Ever since we've lived here, I've noticed some things I just can't put my finger on." She started and the slightly demanding look of her nanny made her continue. "Konoha is known for having the will of fire and for viewing the village as a whole as one big family. At least according to what I've learned from my books. But there have been more and more situations in the past where I couldn't notice any of it. Naruto, for example. I would never treat anyone in my family so badly, especially when I know that they have no parents to teach them rules and manners. But all the adults do is yell at him, call him names, sometimes beat him and kick him. They refuse to sell him anything and they forbid their children to even come near him! You don't do that to someone who is family! Even if it's not a blood relative. Naruto has never hurt anyone and doesn't deserve this treatment. Why hasn't anyone done anything for him? I mean, it's still not optimal how many people treat him, but it's gotten better since me and my friends have been defending him. I just don't understand why it had to come to this." Confused, Sakura frowned, looked into Mariko's eyes once more and then turned on her back, sighing. 

"It's similar with the Uchihas. I met Kagami because he inquired after my well-being and other people wrongly accused him. In general, most people are not and have never been well-disposed towards the Uchihas. Compared to Kagami and Shisui things have improved a bit, but otherwise I still see the others being shunned as if they are not supposed to be part of Konoha. And the Uchihas have co-founded Konohagakure! Have people forgotten that? Or even the Hyuugas. How can you split your own family and treat them so differently? Mariko-san, I just don't understand. Konoha was supposed to be a friendly village which protects its people, and where everyone sticks together, but what I see is the opposite. It..." Sakura searched for suitable words. 

"It makes me sad and a little angry too. Because what else can I do? I don't like the behaviour, but I'm also much too young to really make a difference, and Okaa-san and Otou-san are busy enough with their diplomatic affairs. I don't want to bother them about it, they seem to be busy again lately." Sakura drew her lips and looked to her nanny for help. Hopefully Mariko could help her to sort out the chaos in her head and who knew, maybe she had some helpful answers, after all her nanny was a Kunoichi and surely knew more than she did.

The latter looked thoughtfully at Sakura while processing the words of the younger one. The black-haired woman knew Sakura was not like other children her age, but the seriousness and almost adult thinking made Mariko both afraid and sad. Her fosterling had always been sensitive to what was going on around her, was quicker to perceive the atmosphere of situations and always wanted to help when something didn't seem right. Normally they never stayed in a village for more than a month and a half, so the young Haruno couldn't see too much behind the scenes, but this had changed when they returned to Konoha. They had been in Konoha for almost five months now, and Sakura had made contacts so quickly that it was no wonder she realized that not everything was as it should be in Konoha. She had made friends with exactly those who were the exceptions in Konoha. Naruto as Jinchuuriki was the first problem she had befriended. Not that she hated Naruto, like many of the villagers, but she was aware of why the boy was treated, how he was treated. Not that she liked it. She was happy to know Sakura had taken care of him and made him a friend. The boy was not only a pure bundle of energy but also incredibly warm and had longed for friends only. Since he had become friends with Sakura and her friends, he had become more cheerful and open and he made her protégé enjoy her childhood even though she worried about the blond boy every day. But Naruto showed Sakura what it was like to have fun unattached and Sakura showed people that Naruto was more than a monster without her realizing it.

It was similar with the Uchihas. Mariko herself was not well disposed to all the Uchihas. The young Kunoichi didn't like their arrogance at all, but Shisui and Kagami clearly didn't belong to this category, as she was pleased to find out. Both Uchihas allowed feelings, were not cold or thought they were better than others. Besides, Sakura liked them, another reason why Mariko accepted them both. Sakura had seldom been wrong about a human being before and so she trusted the judgement of her protégé. Another thing were the Hyuugas. Why a clan did what it did she couldn't explain to Sakura either, but she could at least explain why Hyuugas were not thrilled by the presence of the Uchihas. However, she was sure that in Sakura's eyes this wouldn't be a reason for the behavior.

"You really worrying about a lot, Sakura." Mariko started and turned to her side so she could look at the younger one. "I can't give you an answer for everything. Why the Hyuugas act the way they do within their clan is not comprehensible to me either. It probably has something to do with their clan history and their own internal laws and rules. The reason why Hiashi does not like the Uchihas is because both clans have strong Kekkei Genkais alias Doujutsus and therefore there has been a rivalry between the two clans since the beginning of the village.". At her words Mariko could see Sakura pulling her face to make a protest response, but was stopped with a gesture of her hand.

"I know what you're thinking, Sakura-chan, and I agree with you. There's no reason for such antipathy, but it's in her past and no one can change it just like that. Both the Uchihas and the Hyuugas are very proud of their strength and abilities, so they are also incredibly stubborn when it comes to making changes or when someone wants to tell them what to do. As for your question regarding the behavior of the villagers towards the Uchihas, you will find the answer in my statement earlier. Many Uchihas think they're better than others and let others feel it too. You must know, Sakura-chan, people like to categorize others, even if you shouldn't generalize people, but it's in our nature. Shisui and Kagami are exceptions in the Uchiha clan, and they do not deserve the treatment of the villagers they show towards the other Uchihas. What you can do, you already do Sakura-chan. You show them that they can't deduce all the Uchihas from some. The same goes for Naruto. There's a reason why adults act this way, even if it's not correct at all, only the information is classified and no one has permission to talk about it with others. All I can tell you is that you're doing everything right, with what you're doing, and if you want to change anything, just keep doing what you're doing and show people that their views aren't right." With a warm and uplifting smile, Mariko looked at Sakura and stroked the young heiress's hair with her free hand, "You can't change the world as a whole for the better. Just carry on as before and concentrate on the people around you and your friends and try to change their perspective. You're already changing a lot, and you might even improve the lives of your loved ones."

Patiently, Mariko waited for Sakura to process her words and watched her in the meantime. It was always interesting to observe the Haruno processing information and Mariko knew that Sakura would take her words to heart.

Meanwhile Sakura was completely absorbed in her thoughts and tried to connect the new information she had received with her own experiences. It was obvious Naruto contained a secret, but that it was so secretive no one was allowed to talk about it was something she didn't expect. It also didn't really make the situation any better for the blond one if someone wanted to hear Sakura's opinion about it. The rivalry between the Uchihas and the Hyuugas she found to be nonsensical and childish, but she realized that if no clan wanted to change the situation and if Mariko was right about the stubbornness of the two clans, then it was an almost impossible undertaking anyway. If she was honest with herself, then she spoke from her own experience, because she too could be stubborn and refused to be told anything at such moments. So why should it be different with the clans? Sakura was divided about the behaviour of the Uchihas. Mainly she only knew Kagami and Shisui and both of them didn't match the description Mariko had given her of Uchihas in general. But she couldn't prove Mariko wrong either. The few other Uchihas she had met and interacted with showed a lot of pride and arrogance. Only they were usually relatively friendly towards her. Probably she should really accept Mariko's advice and try not to change and analyze everything.

Sighing, Sakura closed her eyes briefly before opening them again and looking sideways to Mariko.

"Thanks, you're probably right and I just think about it too much." Just as Mariko was about to reply, an Anbu appeared in a cloud of smoke and the two women looked at each other in surprise for a moment before turning to the stranger.

"Haruno-san, Haruna-san," he addressed them and nodded slightly. "Hokage-sama requests your presence. Haruno-san's parents are also here." The announcement earned him astonished looks before Mariko stood up and held out her hand to Sakura.

"It's okay, Anbu-san. We'll be on our way right away." No sooner Mariko had given her answer the stranger disappeared again and Sakura reached for the offered hand to be helped up. 

"I wonder what Hokage-sama wants from us?" Sakura asked out loud and received a shrug of Mariko's shoulders in response. 

"He'll have to tell us himself. I'm not a mind reader yet." And with that, they set off for the Hokage Tower.

After a few minutes the duo had reached the tower and as soon as they were standing in front of the Hokage's door, they could already hear soft but mildly raised voices. Sakura was sure she could clearly hear her mother's voice. While she blinked irritatedly several times, Mariko had already knocked and a clear "come in" was the sign for them to enter. Sakura's amazement did not subside a bit when she entered the Hokage office behind Mariko and actually found her parents and the third Hokage. 

"Ah, Mariko and Sakura, I'm glad you made it." The professor smiled at the two newcomers from behind his desk and indicated with his hand to them to come closer calmly. Uncertain, Sakura approached, but continued to stay next to Mariko. It was the first time she faced the sandaime and saw him in persona and even though she knew she had nothing to fear, it didn't help at all, she felt uncomfortable under his gaze, especially because the tense atmosphere in the room didn't remain hidden from her. 

"You are probably wondering why I have asked you here." Sarutobi began, placing his chin on his folded hands. "The situation is that Sunagakure wishes the presence of Mebuki-san and Kizashi-san for negotiations, so they will be leaving tomorrow for a longer period, estimated one to three months, depending on how the negotiations go. Since Sakura-chan has, by all accounts, integrated well in Konoha, they wanted you to stay here in her absence, which would not be a problem if I didn't need Mariko-chan for a mission. As a result, there'd be no one there to look after you, Sakura-chan. Although you could always go to a clansman..." Sakura needed a moment to process the information and her gaze wandered to her parents who didn't look pleased. Probably they weren't thrilled by the fact Sarutobi sent Mariko on a mission while they were away. After all, it was Mariko's job to take care of Sakura, but she didn't want to stay with another clan member either. 

"I know who could take care of me until Mariko-san returns from her mission!" Surprised faces turned to the young heiress as she announced her message louder than intended. "I'm sure Shisui and Kagami-san have no objection. Besides, I visit them almost every day anyway." Sakura grinned happily over both ears. She liked the idea and also liked the two Uchihas, so it wasn't wrong to stay with them for a few days.

"I really don't know, Sakura-chan. We can' t possibly burden the Uchihas with looking after a child." Started her mother and Sakura frowned her mouth unhappily. 

"Ano, Mebuki-san. If I might say something... I don't think Sakura-chan's idea is so bad. I mean, Kagami-san is a member of the Konoha police force and he's very dutiful, and Shisui's got a soft spot for Sakura-chan. She'd probably feel more comfortable with them than if we left her with strangers or clansmen who treated her differently from her friends." Sakura smiled gratefully at Mariko and was once again grateful that the woman knew her so well and stood up for her. A thoughtful brooding had settled on her parents' faces, as well as on Hiruzen's face. 

"Now if she can stay with Kagami-san, Fugaku-san must also be informed. As head of the clan, he must know if non-Uchihas stay on the property for long periods of time, so the guards won't stop them at the gates." It sounded more like he was talking to himself in Sakura's ears, but she recognized her parents' timid nodding at his words. Suddenly, two ninjas unknown to her stood in the room and Sarutobi gave them the order to seek out both Fugaku and Kagami Uchiha to tell them he would be expecting them. Shortly afterwards, the two ninjas had disappeared again.

Fugaku would be lying if he said that he was not at all surprised when he was called to the Hokage. The last time he was in Sarutobi's office was only a few days ago and it was a meeting regarding the further procedure concerning the Uchihas. It was unlikely that he would want to see him again so soon and this indicated that something had come up. His fear was confirmed when he entered the office and found Kagami Uchiha and a few civilians he could not immediately assign.

"Hokage-sama" greeted the head of the Uchihas and waited for an explanation why he was called. He had nothing to do with the civilian couple, nor was he aware of anything else through the police that would cause his presence at the Hokage to be requested.

"Fugaku-san, Kagami-san, thank you for coming so quickly. There was a small problem which we hope to solve with your help. You must know the Harunos. Kizashi and Mebuki Haruno, as the head of the Haruno clan, are our diplomats and have been requested by Sunagakure, which is why they are leaving their daughter here in Konoha. Unfortunately I have to send her guardian on a mission so that her daughter would be without supervision and protection. This is where Kagami-san comes in. Sakura-chan suggested she could stay with you and your son until Mariko-chan returns from her mission. Could you keep her with you for a while starting tomorrow?" Sarutobi had his eyes on Kagami as well as Fugaku, so neither man could miss the nod of the Uchiha. Hiruzen then turned to the other Uchiha in the room. "That's settled then, and we'll get to the point that requires your presence, Fugaku-san. Since Sakura-chan will be living in the Uchiha quarter for a few days, you should at least know about it so that the guards at the entrance don't just send her away and there won't be any questions later on about why someone 'strange' is in the Uchiha quarter. Sakura-chan, please come and introduce yourself."

Fugaku was secretly curious. It wasn't often that the Uchihas were trusted with anything else and if it was true, the girl who was to stay with Kagami was the heiress of the Harunos, which meant a high position within Konoha, even if she came from a civilian clan. The head was not blind enough to underestimate the importance of diplomats and the power this position brought. So it was all the more curious that they were entrusted with the heiress in the first place, and how did the girl know Kagami at all if she had made the proposal herself? When a young girl, not much older than his youngest son, stepped forward behind her parents, Fugaku was almost speechless when he would show emotions freely. How on earth could anyone have pink hair? Neither her father nor her mother had such hair color. A joke of nature? At least she seemed polite when he saw Sakura bowing and introducing herself.

"Pleased to meet you, Uchiha-sama. I am Haruno Sakura, daughter of Kizashi and Mebuki Haruno. I will be in Uchiha-san's care for the next few days." With a nod he took note of her words and turned back to Hokagen. 

"I will take the necessary precautions. Kagami you and Shisui are responsible for her well-being while she is with you." When he received confirmation that Kagami had understood, he dismissed himself and made his way back to the Uchiha compound. After all, he had to tell the guards about the short-term guest and surely his wife also wanted to know why he was called to Sarutobi. Hopefully she didn't get the idea to invite the girl into their house. It was noticeable enough that they of all people - the Uchihas - were assigned to the task and before he didn't know if there was something behind it that could harm them or not, he wouldn't take any risk.

The next morning, Sakura stood with Mariko and her parents at the gates of Konoha, waiting for the ninjas who would escort her parents safely to Sunagakure. It was strange for the young Haruno to say goodbye to her parents for the next weeks, maybe even months, when she usually went on trips with them and even though Sakura knew that she would miss her parents, she was glad not to go this time. Her parents had given her the chance to stay in Konoha, her home village and the place where she made friends and connections faster than expected.

Just before the group left, her parents turned to their daughter one last time. It was the first time they would leave her alone for an indefinite period of time and still Mebuki and Kizashi didn't feel comfortable with it. Not only that Mariko would be on mission as well, but her daughter preferred to stay with the Uchihas for the absence of her parents and Mariko instead of a clan member. Not that the Harunos didn't trust the Uchihas to look after their daughter, but they weren't blind either. They had seen and heard what was the problem with the Uchihas within Konohagakure and they had spent several hours in the office of the Hokage together with the elders to analyze the current situation. The two diplomats had not been happy about their daughter's idea, and yet Sakura had done them some good with her proposal. Without knowing it, Sakura had given them access to the Uchihas in order to possibly find a way to defuse the threatening conflict between the clan and Konoha through it. They could only hope that their daughter would make good use of the time and give them important information as soon as they returned from their mission. 

"And remember to behave yourself, Sakura-chan. It's incredibly generous of the Uchihas to take you in with them for an indefinite period of time. I'm sure you'll show them the gratitude they deserve and don't neglect your studies. Just because we're not here doesn't mean you can get sloppy. Take care of yourself. See you when things are settled in Suna." Kizashi put his hand on Sakura's shoulder while his wife gave her a short kiss on the forehead. 

"Take care and I promise to behave myself when I am with the Uchihas. In the same way I will not neglect my studies. Travel carefully." With these words Sakura's parents turned around and set off with their escort. For a while Sakura stood together with Mariko at the gates and watched her parents until they were no longer to be seen. 

"I'll miss them. It's the first time they're traveling without me, but at the same time I can stay with my friends, who I'd miss just as much if I travel with them." Sakura spoke her thoughts out loud as she followed Mariko back to the center of the village and received an understanding humming reply. Together the two women made their way back to the Haruno main house and as soon as they arrived, her first sensei reached the property. The young heiress spent the rest of the morning with her usual lessons, while Mariko packed for her mission and already collected some things Sakura would surely need with the Uchihas. At noon Sakura was invited for lunch by her nanny and when they both arrived at Ichirakus, a familiar face of hers was already happily eating ramen. 

"Naruto-kun!" Sakura greeted the blond boy happily and bridged the last meters in a little sprint before hugging her buddy from behind. 

"Sakura... What are you doing here?" 

"Guess what. Mariko-san has invited me to lunch before she goes on a mission tonight," Sakura giggled and sat down on the chair next to Naruto, while on the other side, Mariko sat down and ordered a portion of miso ramen for both of them. 

"Is it true you'll be staying with Shisui for a while?" Asked Naruto after his second portion and received a nod in response. 

"Yes, somebody should keep an eye on me when my parents and Mariko-san are not present and I don't like to stay with my clan members. They are all nice, but I want to be treated normally and not like a delicate porcelain doll. Therefore I decided to stay with someone I call a friend. Not too much will change, except that I will probably not be found in the main house. Nevertheless, we'll all meet up again and again on the usual afternoons to play, I promise!" Relief was reflected in Naruto's features after hearing Sakura's answer. Without wanting to admit it, he had been afraid that she would not have time for him during her parents' absence or worse, that staying in the village was just a rumor and that she was accompanying her parents on their journey. Although he had made more new friends thanks to Sakura and the villagers were more tolerant towards him if he wasn't alone, but who could tell him it would remain that way if his first friend wasn't around for a longer time? Her closeness did him good and he didn't want to miss her friendship anymore, she had become a constant in his life over the months and he had never been happier in his life so far. 

"So I'll see you in the park tomorrow afternoon at the latest?" What was meant to be a statement sounded much more uncertain than Naruto had wished, but even if Sakura had noticed, she didn't let on anything but nodded and smiled. 

"Right, same place same time, as if I wanted to spend all my days without you! It just wouldn't be the same if we couldn't spend time together." For a while they sat together at Ichiraku, talking and laughing until Mariko Sakura pointed out that if she wanted to reach Kagami in time they had to go on. 

As a nice gesture, Mariko placed her hand on Narutos as he tried to open his wallet and paid for his bowls as well, causing the blond boy to squeeze her warmly, which in turn made Sakura giggle. She was happy the people she cared about got along so well and accepted each other. Even though Mariko knew what secret surrounded her blond buddy, she welcomed him warmly like any other of her friends and treated him that way. Sakura waved goodbye to Naruto once more and reassured him that she would be at the park tomorrow before she went back home to pack the rest of her things she would need for her stay with the Uchihas.

Early in the evening Sakura found herself once again at the gates of Konoha. This time to see Mariko off. On her back was a small backpack in which she had stored some things she would need for the days with the Uchihas. Next to her was another backpack on the floor that Mariko had carried for her. Kagami or Shisui would also arrive soon to pick her up, if it remained with the plan Mariko had told her and she trusted that one of the two Uchihas would show up so she could say goodbye to her nanny extensively. 

Mariko's first team members arrived and looked sceptically at the young Haruno, they were not used to having their team member in the company of a child. But this didn't bother Sakura any further and only when the last member arrived, who turned out to be Genma, the young girl realized that it was time to say goodbye. With inner willpower Sakura tried to suppress her tears when Mariko squatted down to embrace her. 

"Take care of yourself, Sakura-chan. You'll see I'll be back sooner than you think." In response she received a gentle nod and a sniff from her protégé. The temporary farewell didn't leave Mariko cold either, especially since it was the first time she left Sakura completely alone. After all, her parents were also on the way and even though she had confidence in Kagami and Shisui, it was not easy for her to leave young Haruno behind. 

"You take care of yourself, too, Mariko-san. When you come back, can we go swimming? You promised you'd show me this one place where you used to go when you were a kid and learn to swim by yourself." Mariko's friendly smile and nodding took away some of the fear Sakura had felt as the goodbye came closer and closer. Mariko would come back and then they would do many things together again. The prospect at least relieved some of her inner tension, even though Sakura still had to struggle with holding back her tears. 

"And Genma-san. Promise me that you will protect Mariko-san like she would protect you should you be attacked. Hopefully, that won't happen. Travel carefully." Her words made the other two team members chuckle and Genma flicked her hair once and muttered a "Hai, Hai brat" which even caused the corners of Sakura's mouth to lift. Meanwhile, Mariko had stood up again and joined her team before turning around and waving to Sakura who returned the gesture. As with her parents, young Haruno stopped at the gate for a while but the team had disappeared more quickly than her parents' traveling party and Sakura, realizing that she was now alone, bit her lower lip uncertainly to suppress the urge to cry.

"Haruno-san" Sakura was yanked from her thoughts and spun around during the address. With big eyes she looked at the person in front of her and tilted her head slightly to the side. In front of her stood a young teenager with black eyes and equally black hair tied together, which fell down his back in a loose ponytail. He was clearly an Uchiha, which she could see not only in his clothes, but she had never met him before.

"Hai Uchiha-san. Can I help in any way?" Once or twice she blinked, trying to get an idea of what the teenager might want from her before her gaze fell behind the stranger. Of the two Uchihas she was expecting, no trace was left. 

"I'm here to pick you up. Kagami is still at the police station and Shisui was called to the Hokage." Somewhat baffled by the lack of any emotion in the stranger's voice, Sakura needed a moment to process what he had said. 

"Oh, okay." She was just about to turn to her other backpack when the teenager walked past her and grabbed and lifted it without much effort. Silently, they went on their way to the Uchiha quarter, but Sakura couldn't resist looking at her companion out of the corner of her eye. 

"Neh Uchiha-san? Even though I'm sure you know who I am. I'm Haruno Sakura, and what's your name? Besides Kagami-san and Shisui, I only know Fugaku-sama by name and some of Kagami-san's colleagues by sight. But I haven't seen you yet." Somehow a conversation had to be initiated and Sakura was willing to get to know the new Uchiha. The latter, however, didn't seem to be very social and didn't even look at her when she spoke to him. Rude. 

"Itachi" got she the answer after some time, almost Sakura had thought she wouldn't get any more. His name, however, awakened something in her and for a short time she stood still like rooted to the ground. 

"Itachi like son of Fugaku-sama and heir to the Uchihas?" Why should he of all people do the simple task of picking her up? If he was indeed the Itachi Uchiha, then he surely had other tasks that were more important. If she wasn't all deceptive, he was also considered a child prodigy, was extremely intelligent and talented when it came to his career as a shinobi. She would never have expected that someone like him would pick her up. 

"Hn." was the glorious answer of Itachi, which made Sakura stare at him as ordered and not picked up. Her expression almost made Itachi grin if he didn't control his facial expressions perfectly. The young girl reminded him at least a little bit of his little brother Sasuke when he didn't get his way again and sulked. Which was mostly the case when he didn't have time for his little brother himself. Since he had gone further, even when the young Haruno had stopped, she had to catch up with him again with some hurried, small steps.

"You don't like to talk, do you?" he heard the pinkhead and just gave a casual shrug. What would he talk to her about that's so great? Wasn't it enough that his father had told him to pick her up and how did she even know Shisui and his father? Besides, why should she stay with them for a while in their district? Nobody entered the Uchiha property voluntarily, let alone wanted to live with them for a longer time. This girl was clearly strange. "You should definitely talk more, ltachi-san. I can call you ltachi-san, right? Uchiha-san may make too many people feel addressed later. This could lead to unpleasant situations..." Ignoring whether he was still listening or not, Sakura continued to talk and talk and inevitably she reminded him of his cousin Shisui with her open and warm manner. He couldn't even listen away, even if he wanted to. Her cheerful and carefree manner was refreshing, even if it was a little exhausting. 

"Shisui-san!" The exclamation reached his ears just as the small, dainty figure raced past him, right into the open arms of Shisui, who stood in front of the entrance to his house. With a curious look he watched the greeting of the two and realized that the two had to be quite close, as heartily as they treated each other. What had his cousin kept from him? 

"Hey `Tachi" Shisui greeted him, whereupon he just nodded, but nobody had expected the reaction of her guest. 

"You know Shisui-san, Itachi-san?" Sakura asked and glanced back and forth between them, blinking. 

“Yapp" started Shisui, stressing the double p extra. "He's my little cousin, next to the even younger cousin." He grinned and Itachi had to refrain from rolling his eyes. 

"WHAT?! And then you say nothing Itachi-san?! We could've talked about Shisui the whole time instead of me babbling all kinds of stuff to make you talk." Frustrated, Sakura puffed her cheeks and stomped childishly with one foot on the floor, causing Shisui to laugh out loud. 

"Don't worry, princess. `Tachi here is a bit socially awkward and certainly just had no idea how to talk to a princess like you. Come. Tou-san waits for us with dinner and thanks for bringing Itachi."

After Sakura had also said goodbye and thanked the other Uchiha both disappeared in the house and Itachi set off for home where his little brother was surely waiting for him longingly.

Chapter Text

Living with the two Uchihas was... different. The young heiress couldn't have come up with a better description as she lay awake in her futon on the second evening and reviewed the last hours.

The first evening was a bit strange for everyone, as they were acting unsteadily around each other after dinner. The two men did not know exactly what to do with the young Haruno, a female figure had been missing in their lives for several years. Moreover, they didnt know Sakura's routine, but they didnt want to intrude too much into her privacy. What could  and were they allowed to do with the seven-year-old and what not? How independent was she and what kind of behaviour should they show towards her, now that they would live under the same roof for a while? Sakura had no clue what to do either. With her parents she had built up a routine and with Mariko she also had no problems filling the time after dinner. Now, however, she felt like an intruder and questioned her decision whether it had really been such a good idea to stay with the Uchihas. It was Shisui who tried to resolve the situation.

"Tell Sakura, what do you usually do at your place until bedtime? Dad and I mostly relax or go out for a workout. Sometimes, I visit Itachi and his family." Grateful for his question, Sakura gave him a small, reserved smile.

"With my parents, I mostly sit in the living room and read. Sometimes we talk about the day if we haven't already done so at dinner. As soon as I notice I get tired, I usually say goodbye and go to bed. With Mariko-san it is similar, but mostly she fills the time until going to bed. Sometimes we play cards or puzzles until she puts me to bed." Both procedures were deeply appreciated by her. In the evening she either had her parents around her and even if they didn't really do anything together, they were together most of the time, unlike during the day. Evenings with Mariko were more fun and probably more appropriate for children, but since Sakura didn't know what normal children her age did in the evening, she didn't find anything unusual about her routine. Apparently the two Uchihas saw it differently when she looked at the facial expressions on their faces. But saying anything nobody did. For a few moments they looked at each other silently, no one said a word until Kagami cleared his throat and suggested to look for some cards. The evening turned out to be quite fun after all, and it was funny for Sakura to see how amazed the two Uchihas were when she understood the rules of the game so quickly. After a lot of laughter and a few rounds of the game, Sakura became more and more tired and soon said goodbye with kind words for the night. Although she was tired, she lay awake for a long time. Holding her plush bunny, she rolled from side to side. She heard every little, unknown sound and missed the familiarity of her own room. Everything was strange, smelled different and even the noises were not the same. It took hours before the young heiress had tossed herself to sleep. At the same time, however, she had disappeared so quickly into the land of dreams that she couldn't see how the two Uchihas later that night carefully opened her door and peeped into the guest room to make sure her guest had fallen asleep safely.

The morning came faster than Sakura would have liked. Sleepy and tired, she staggered into the bathroom still drowsy. But even the cool wetness didn't help to dispel sleep from her body. She tied her hair back with a simple, red hair band. Her birthday present from Ino-chan and made her way to the kitchen. First she had stepped through the wrong door and stood aimlessly in the living room instead of the kitchen until she heard familiar sounds from another room. Someone was cooking.

"Does Kagami-san need help?" The man she spoke to turned around and stared down at the rose-haired girl with some surprise, before he apparently caught himself and pointed to a small pile of dishes.

"Morning, Sakura. If you like, you can set the table. Shisui's probably still asleep." If Kagami was honest, he didn't expect the Haruno to be up this early. A slight giggle sounded and Sakura stretched to grab the said dishes. 

"Okay.. Is Shisui-san a late riser?" In the background, there was the sound of cutlery and bowls being placed on wood. 

"If you let him, he'd sleep until noon. Mostly, however, he's woken by his cousin." Kagami placed several small filled bowls on the table and instructed Sakura to sit and help herself.

"By cousin, you mean ltachi-san? Will he come today to wake up Shisui-san?" It sounded like a harmless question, but Sakura was curious. The clan heir really came to wake up Shisui? The thought had something entertaining. 

"Aa. You met Itachi yesterday, didn't you? He picked you up and whether he'd come today, I don't know." Kagami didn't really understand the boy himself. He always seemed serious and reserved. Never did what he expected. Sometimes he showed up and sometimes not. But that morning, a zombie-like Shisui dragged himself into the kitchen without a wake-up call.

Yawning, in a black boxer with a too big dark blue shirt - clearly stolen from his father's closet - and dishevelled hair, Shisui stepped into the kitchen. Eyes at half-mast, he bumped into a kitchen counter and cursed incomprehensible stuff, while red eyes fixed the said corner murderously, before a buzzing yawn escaped the young teenager and resounding laughter could be heard. Sakura had tried not to react to Shisui's appearance. Really, she had seriously tried! But when he staggered into the kitchen while he was still half asleep, and then even bumped and cursed, she just couldn't help herself. She had tried to hold back her laughter. Soft, throaty noises came out, while Sakura tried to press her lips together to keep from laughing. But it was no use. With Shisui's buzzing yawn, she lost her last restraint and started laughing out loud. She couldn't stop. Especially not when Shisui stared at her with a blank, stunned face. Tears came into Sakura's eyes and she had to hold her belly in laughter.

"Shisui-san is... Shisui-san ... has ... bird's nest ... uff" She couldn't even come up with a decent sentence and then she fell off her chair. But that only interrupted her laughing for a short time before she started again. This time about her own clumsiness. She didn't know how long it took her to calm down but at some point the urge to laugh ebbed away and Sakura took several deep breaths. Still amused, she straightened up again and wiped the supposed dust off her clothes and sat down at the table again appropriately. "Sorry," she shyly said, staring at the food rather than looking at the two Uchihas. 

"Do I look that funny?" Shisui sulked and sat down at the table too, now that he was awake enough to perceive his surroundings properly. Embarrassed, Sakura scratched her cheek and still avoided looking up. 

"Somehow? At home, we all sit around the table most awake and fully dressed when we eat together. It's rare that we are drowsy or entering the kitchen in our pajamas." The last time was on her birthday, and she was the only one walking around in her pajamas. So she was not used to this kind of sight from others. Nevertheless, she felt a warm, cozy feeling when she thought about getting such a sight more often. Without knowing it, Shisui brought a certain humanity with his action, which seemed normal, almost carefree, even vulnerable, and which would later make Sakura appreciate it more than just a little. 

They were just about to clear the table when there was a knock at the front door and an unknown voice for Sakura was heard a little later. 

"Kagami-san outside the Clanentrance is a man who claims he is teaching a Haruno Sakura at your house. Shall we send him away?" Turning the bowls down, Sakura turned to Kagami and saw his questioning look. 

"This will be one of my senseis for my clan lessons. Okaa-san said I can't neglect my studies just because they are away. One more should arrive by noon, so it would be good if the guards could let them both in and bring them here." She was silent for a moment, and seemed to be thinking. "Is it all right if we use the living room or should I study in the guest room so you can do what you normally do in peace?" And without meaning to, Sakura wondered if her parents or Mariko hadn't mentioned anything about her lessons to Kagami.

"Ah." Kagami was, if he was honest, taken a bit by surprise by the news but tried not to let on. "You may use the living quarters. No idea what Shisui's up to today, but I'm on duty soon." With these words he also stepped out of the kitchen to tell the Uchiha at the front door that it was ok to lead the guest to the house. He was also curious what exactly Sakura had to learn, that she even learned when there was no one there to control it.

After breakfast, Shisui had gone back to his room to get dressed. He had completely forgotten that Sakura had stayed with them. Accordingly, he hadn't thought anything of his outfit when he entered the kitchen, only when he heard her laughing did his brain gradually wake up and he could process what was going on. He was not ashamed, there was no reason for it, but he did not want to face her teacher in his sleeping clothes. After a few minutes he heard muffled voices from the entrance area, two of which were no strangers to him. His father seemed to welcome her guest as well as Sakura. After that it was quiet again and a little later his father said goodbye and he himself finally came out of his room, too.

It was not often that the young teenager got up in the morning voluntarily. So he didn't really have anything to do that morning. Itachi probably wouldn't show up before noon and he didn't have a mission. He didn't want to annoy Mikoto and Sasu-chan at this time of day either. Instead, he was curious what Sakura-chan had to learn that she even got extra senseis provided. With silent steps he stepped into the living area where said haruno heiress was already meticulously writing. In front of her lay a thick tome that made Shisui's eyes grow big. What was she reading? The book was almost as thick as an encyclopedia! He probably hadn't read something like that when he was seven years old, even if he was ahead of his time.

He nodded briefly to the older man who was watching over Sakura's notes, holding a thin notebook in his hands, which he looked into from time to time. When their eyes met, the man nodded back and Shisui approached one of the bookshelves to grab a book. It had felt like half an eternity ago when he had last read in his spare time.

With the book he sat down on one of the free standing armchairs and opened the first page, always keeping an ear on Sakura and her sensei. After all, he hadn't come here to read, but to get an idea of what Sakura was learning. He just didn't want to appear rude, so he had looked for a disguise.

"You finished the chapter, Sakura-sama? Good. Then I'm sure you could tell me between what fronts the Third Ninja World War took place, how long it lasted, and what exactly were the triggering factors for the war." After a while the rough voice of the teacher penetrated the room and Shisui had to hold on to himself not to swallow himself in terror. Did Sakura really take the last war as a lesson right now?

"Hai, Sensei. Konoha's main opponent in the third war was Iwagakure, and the war lasted four years. The last factor responsible for the outbreak of the war was the invasion of Iwas ninjas into the grass country. Konoha was still very weak after the second war, the loss of Nidame-sama and many good shinobis not only weakened the military but also the economic situation. In addition, the separation of the Sannins had a negative effect on the mood of the population. In order to boost the economy, Sandaime-sama decided to build a trade route with the grass nation, which Iwagakure did not like, it was itself weakened by internal conflicts. In order to prevent Konoha from gaining strength and power, Iwa invaded the Grass Nation, which led Konoha to come to the aid, and the first open battles were fought and a war was declared.” Shisui no longer concentrated on his book, just stared at it, trying to process what he heard from the mouth of a seven-year-old girl. Konoha's story was no secret, the wars were taught at the Academy, but only when the children were 9 years or older. Moreover, the economic situation in the village was rarely discussed. The focus was always on the military side. So how much Sakura had to learn and understand about the economic processes? She sounded as if she was familiar with the subject and her statements sounded firm and decisive, not uncertain or questioning. Seriously. How much did the girl understand from what she read and was taught? Was she a second Itachi?! Please not. He loved his cousin, but he didn't need another genius with questionable social skills. Although... Sakura had no problem reaching out to others if he thought back. He exhaled some relief. He didn't have to worry about the girl, at least on that level.

"Right. The Tsuchikage still held a certain resentment against Konoha from the previous war and could not allow Konoha to regain a greater power as it did at the beginning of the 2nd Ninja War. Not if he could do anything to prevent it. The outcome is not unknown and Iwagakure had to accept his defeat. And Konoha owed his victory to one special ninja in particular. But more about that later. For now, we will deal with the strategies and decisions that were made during the war. I would like you to tell me the pros and cons of the various options and what you think would have been the best solution." Shisui heard the rustling of paper and the turning of book pages. Otherwise it was quiet again and he couldn't forget what he had just heard. That wasn't something a seven-year-old girl should learn! Did she deal with such topics every day? And since when? Pity came over him when he thought about it. Had she really been allowed to be a child until then? If he combined the new information with his previous knowledge, he didn't miss that Sakura was driven to peak performance similar to his cousin, but on a completely different level. Neither of them did justice to their age when he compared them with others who were the same age, which made him more than just sad.

It was nothing new for Sakura, and the questions she had to answer became more difficult as she grew older. Now that she wasn't spending all day alone and making friends her age, her workload had increased a bit. After all, she was no longer studying most of the day, but was also spending her hours with her friends. She had gotten used to it and saw nothing abnormal in her routine. Probably she wouldn't even understand the problem Shisui had with her learning. Time went on and Sakura hardly noticed how her first Sensei finished the lessons and a few minutes later her second Sensei entered the room. Only when it was noon, she broke out of her thoughts and cleared her documents. 

"Shisui-san?" she shouted with a normal voice through the apartment and a glance later, said teenager was standing next to her with a broad grin on his lips, when she flinched again. "Shisui-san don't scare me like that all the time," she hoofed and drew a pout, but it didn't last long. "Do you know if your father has had lunch yet? Maybe we can surprise him? Unless you have plans?" Asking, young Haruno tilted her head to one side and waited for an answer. After studying, she had clearly gotten hungry and she needed her energy if she wanted to play in the park with her friends later.

"I don't know, we can go look, Cherry. Food sounds like a great idea." With a bright smile, Sakura nodded and reached for Shisui's hand without thinking about it. 

"Then let's go right now!" Which earned her a laugh and a nod from said Uchiha. Together they made their way to the police station, but Sakura noticed that many of Uchihas gave them questioning looks, which she ignored. Shisui's hand she hadn't let go once on her way, and she didn't leave his side in the police station either. Here and there she heard whispering voices and even thought she had seen Fugaku in the corner of her eye, but all that was forgotten when she discovered Kagami in his office and ran towards the adult, beaming with joy. 

"Kagami-san!" she greeted the Uchiha, conscientiously ignoring the fact that she had only seen him in the morning and would see him again for dinner in the evening. "Shisui-san and I thought we might have lunch together if Kagami-san hadn't eaten already."

A short time later, the two Uchihas could be seen walking through the village with a rose-haired Haruno, who was walking happily and in a good mood between the Uchihas, holding each one's hand. It was not an unusual sight, the villagers had become more and more accustomed to seeing the young Haruno accompanied by Kagami and Shisui. New was the fact that she walked between them, holding the hand of both. This picture was not even seen of Sakura and her parents, they never really reached for her hand in public. Mariko had been the only person who walked through the village in public with Sakura holding her hand. Another exception were her friends of the same age, but the hand contact never lasted long. Sakura never let go of the hands of the two Uchihas on her way. Only when they arrived at a small restaurant did she let go to sit down. Happily, she told the Uchihas what she had planned for the afternoon with her friends and how she was looking forward to meeting them. It had been a few days since a group meeting and she enjoyed being around her friends, especially when they were all together. Now and then the small group got secret glances from passing civilians and shinobis at the same time. Sakura didn't notice them. Kagami and Shisui, however, didn't miss them, but they let it rest, most of the glances were of a curious or questioning nature. The hostile or cautious glances had diminished towards them over the months, so much had the two Uchihas noticed and they were not blind to the reason for the change.

"The food was delicious! See you tonight and Kagami-san, don't work so much anymore and give my regards to Itachi-san, Shisui-san. See you later." With these words, the Haruno heiress said goodbye and headed for the park where she waited for her friends.

It was hours later when Sakura made her way back to the Uchiha district. The afternoon with her friends had once again been fun and exciting. Much laughter had been heard in the park as the children had played frolicsomely with each other and not only Sakura was exhausted at the end. Hinata and Neji supported each other on their way home. Shikamaru looked as if he would fall asleep while walking and Choji and Ino ran against each other more often as they couldn't walk straight ahead without any problems. Only Naruto alone seemed to be full of energy, which nobody could really understand.

Yawning, Sakura toddled along the familiar path, occasionally evading some adults she would otherwise have run into just in time, and finally came to a halt in front of Kagami's house. 

"Tadaima" she shouted exhausted but happy, only to be greeted by a silent silence. Several times the young Haruno heiress blinked. Was no one back yet? Unsure, she crossed some rooms but found no trace of Kagami or Shisui. Puffing, Sakura went back to the entrance area and put her shoes on again. If the Uchihas weren't back yet, she would go looking for them no matter how tired she was. But as soon as she had left the house, it dawned on her that she had no idea where to begin her search. She didn't know the Uchiha neighborhood and had no idea where the two Uchihas might be. Besides, she didn't know any other Uchihas really personally and surely she would get some questionable looks if she would wander the streets without an escort. Sakura pursed her lips and tried to find a solution, which was easier said than done, she was clearly too tired to concentrate sufficiently. "Maybe I should just ask the next best person." she muttered to herself and looked around the street. At first the street seemed empty, most people were probably in their houses having dinner. But fortunately, a young woman with long black hair just stepped through the entrance gate to the Uchiha district and before the woman could disappear, Sakura ran towards her.

"Uchiha-san! Please wait, Uchiha-san!" she exclaimed and came to a halt gasping before the stranger. First of all she took several deep breaths, the little sprint had cost her more energy than she wanted to. But she had been running almost the whole afternoon, so she could certainly afford to be out of breath for a while now. "Ah..." she still started slightly out of breath, trying to find the right words. "Could you tell me where I could find Kagami-san or Shisui-san? I'm staying with them for a while, but there's no one at home and I don't know where they are." Politely, Sakura waited for an answer but she hadn't expected the kind of reaction she got from the woman. 

"Aw, you must be Sakura-chan. Our unusual guest in the district. Fugaku told me about you, but forgot to mention how cute you are." Confused, Sakura blinked and stared at the woman several times while her brain tried to make a connection. It took a while before she realized who she was dealing with. Startled, Sakura jumped back one leap only to bow deeply in the same breath. 

"Apologies, Uchiha-sama, I had no idea it was you. Please forgive my inappropriate behavior. I- " She never got around to finishing her sentence, though. 

"So polite! But there's no need to apologize. We haven't been introduced, how could you know Fugaku is my husband?" A warm, motherly smile had settled on Mikoto's lips, and only timidly did Sakura's posture loosen. "Shisui and my son are probably still training. I'd take you there, but I have to prepare dinner. I know, I'll send a clan member with you. I am Mikoto, by the way. You definitely have to come over for dinner with Shisui sometime during your stay here. Ah! Just the person I was looking for." Sakura barely kept up while Mikoto talked to her and finally turned to a younger man to explain to him that he should please lead Sakura to the training grounds where she suspected Itachi and Shisui were. "See you, Sakura-chan. Hope we'll have more time to get to know each other soon." With these words, she said good-bye, and Sakura just came out with a soft 

“Hai, Mikoto-sama." Too tired and still too shocked by the clash with Mikoto Uchiha, the young heiress silently ran after the strange Uchiha. Like almost all Uchiha members, he radiated a certain sublimity and looked rather grumpy. Probably he could have imagined something better instead of leading her to the training grounds, but the wife of the clan leader had spoken and assigned him this task. So he could not just disappear. Just as they turned a corner, Sakura could already hear the clash of metal and the rustling of clothes and shoes sliding across the floor. 

"We're here." With these words, the Uchiha jumped to the nearest roof and disappeared before Sakura could even say thank you. 

"Rude," Sakura murmured to herself when she noticed the young man had disappeared and only then turned around to follow the sounds that would surely lead her to Shisui and Itachi.

With big eyes she stopped when she reached one of the training areas and followed the events that happened in front of her with fascination. She couldn't see exactly what the Uchihas were doing, the movements were too fast for the human eye, but what she saw was everything else but a fight. It was more like the two Uchihas dancing with and around each other. Their movements were fluid, smooth and graceful at the same time. Sakura had no idea that fights could be so aesthetic. During her travels she had seen Mariko fight a few times, but that was nothing compared to the show she was currently watching. So carried away by the training and her comparison to Mariko, the young Haruno didn't notice how the two Uchihas had noticed her and paused in their fight. 

"Cherry~, what are you doing here?" The cheerful voice of Shisui made Sakura flinch, causing the teenager to giggle. She clearly had to be more careful not to drift off in her thoughts. 

"That was... How can... "Sakura couldn't even formulate a clear sentence. "That was amazing, Shisui-san! Not even Mariko-san could make her movements look so... so... fluid!" Sakura was really blown away by the performance, which you could see clearly, the way her eyes sparkled. Which in turn only made Shisui smile and the fact that she didn't answer the actual question. 

"Look at those sparkling eyes, Tachi! Clearly sweeter than Sasu-chan's." And with those words, Sakura's face blazed bright red and Itachi threw one of his kunai at his cousin. Shisui evaded the projectile with ease, laughing unconcernedly, and noted that he would tease his cousin more often by saying that Sakura was superior to his little brother in terms of sweetness. "But that doesn't explain why you're here, Cherry" Shisui's voice sounded next to Sakura, who jumped up in the air for a moment because she didn't expect the Uchiha to appear next to her.

"There was no one in the house." came her simple answer, her eyes fixed on the floor. "So I went to look for you or Kagami-san until I realized I had no idea where to look. Luckily someone came through the gate and I asked her if she could help me. As it turned out, the woman was Mikoto-sama and she hired another Uchiha to bring me here because she suspected that you were still training with Itachi-san. So the man brought me here and then disappeared, and now here I am." Shisui was determined not to show how hurt he was by those words. He'd completely forgotten that Sakura was waiting for him and his father because of the training with Itachi. His old man probably felt the same way. They weren't used to returning home to someone after their day. 

"Sorry, Saku-chan! I was too absorbed in training that I didn't notice the time. It usually gets dark before Tachi and I finish training. Dad's probably at a bar or something with colleagues. He often does that after stressful shifts." Blinking, Sakura turned her green eyes towards Shisui and gave a soft "Oh" before she turned to Itachi and bowed. 

"Sorry for interrupting your training. I-" She didn't get any further when Shisui patted her head and looked at his cousin with a grin. 

"No need to apologize, Sakura-chan. Mikoto-obasan will probably be glad that Tachi-chan is attending a dinner again. Besides, Dad and I are in charge of you. Say hello to Mikoto-obasan, Itachi. I'll see you tomorrow." With a "Hn" Itachi nodded at them and then disappeared in a cloud of smoke and Shisui made his way back to his house together with Sakura.

As soon as they stepped through the front door, Kagami returned and apologized for not being there. Together they prepared a simple dinner and spent the evening talking about everything until it was time for Sakura to go to bed. After a shower and brushing her teeth, she wished the two Uchihas a good night and lay down on the bed with her plush bunny, where she reviewed the last hours. Watching the training, as short as it was, had clearly been a highlight of the day for the young heiress. What she needed after returning to an empty house. She reluctantly admitted it, but she didn't like it at all. Yes, she had often been left alone by her parents on her travels. But mostly Mariko was in her immediate vicinity and since she was here in Konoha at least one clan member was in one of the neighboring houses when her parents were not back yet and Mariko was not there either. The Uchiha district was certainly not empty, but apart from Kagami and Shisui she didn't know anybody and staying alone in the house was uncomfortable, especially because she was so tired from her day. She was more vulnerable in this state and ... no Sakura didn't want to think about it any further. She had found Shisui and she hadn't been left alone. Nothing had happened. She was safe. With these thoughts she pressed her cuddly toy closer to her and drifted into a deep sleep.

In one movement she sat upright, breathing heavily in her bed. Her heart was racing and her body was trembling. Sweat lay on her forehead and the tightness in her chest wouldn't go away. It took a while before she became aware of her surroundings, while her tender childish hands dug into her stuffed bunny. Only the faint moonlight illuminated her room, making the shadows in the corners all the more threatening for the young girl. In the distance she could hear the call of an owl and Sakura escaped a soft whine. A rustling sound was heard and the hissing of cats could be made out. Whimpering, Sakura pressed her hands on her ears, but it didn't bring her any relief. Even when she hid under her blanket, the threatening shadows that had haunted her in her dream world didn't disappear. Silently, tears ran down her cheeks, invading the fabric of her bedcover and her cuddly toy. Soft sobs could be heard and Sakura admonished herself. She had to be quiet, she wasn't allowed to wake anyone. It was only a bad dream, not reality, she was safe. But she couldn't let go of her fear and she couldn't think of going back to sleep.

She didn't want to be alone, but Mariko was not there, her parents were not an alternative either. Could she go to Shisui or Kagami? Was she allowed to? Was she allowed to, or would they just send her back to her room? Uncertain and afraid, Sakura bit her lower lip and crawled out from under her blanket after a while. From left to right, her eyes flitted, the shadows scanned for threats that weren't there but which she saw again and again. Protecting herself, she clung to her stuffed bunny and with careful steps she hurried to the door. She crept across the hallway, always in the shadow of the wall, until she opened the door to Shisui's room with trembling hands. Uncertain, she remained standing in the door frame and looked into the room, before she lowered her gaze and buried her fingers in the fabric of her cuddly toy again. It was so childish to come to him, she should not disturb him, not because of a stupid dream. Surely he needed his sleep and. Thinking about what she wanted to do or not, she couldn't, when the door behind her fell into the lock and all of a sudden red eyes stared in her direction. 

"Sakura?" She looked up in horror and froze. Inevitably, her body began to shake and her legs felt like Jelly. Her breathing went by bursts and hardly audible sobs came out of her throat. Shisui jumped up immediately when he noticed the condition in which Sakura was and slowly approached her before he carefully knelt down in front of her. "Shhhh, everything will be alright. I'm here." He had no idea what had taken the girl so badly, but he couldn't just leave her to herself either, so he stroked her head tentatively and talked calmly to young Haruno. "Did you have a bad dream?" Itachi had told him every now and then how Sasuke sneaked into his room when he had a bad dream and it was the most obvious explanation for the Uchiha. 

"No," a hiccup was heard, "Yes... I mean..." Cautiously, Shisui pulled Sakura towards him. 

"It's okay, you don't have to tell me now." No sooner had he uttered the words than the young girl's posture relaxed, even though one of her hands dug into the fabric of his top as if it were an anchor. "Would you like to sleep here?" He felt the slight nod at his question and sighed inwardly, Sakura hadn't moved a step from him.

For Sakura, Shisui's words came at just the right time. He wouldn't send her back alone and even allowed her to sleep at his place. Without noticing it herself, she relaxed more and more, the tension and fear gradually left her body while she stayed longer and longer in Shisui's embrace. She was thankful that he didn't ask what the reason for her appearance was or why she was so upset. She just couldn't put it into words right now. Carefully she was picked up by the elder and carried to the bed. 

"I'll take care of you, I promise. So try to sleep, okay?" She heard Shisui's voice and nodded again, she didn't trust her own voice. But she didn't let go of Shisui. Every now and then a shiver ran through her body and Shisui's grip tightened after these moments, as if he wanted to assure her that he was there and that she was not alone. But at some point she couldn't resist the sleep any longer and drifted again into the realm of dreams. But this time without an unpleasant awakening.

The next morning was akward for Sakura when she found herself in Shisui's bed. Like in the night, she was still lying with herself pressed against him and her hand had barely come off his top. Shisui herself had taken her protectively into his arms, which made it impossible to escape from his grip. At least not without waking the young teenager. Without noticing, Sakura buried her face in his chest. The events of the night came back to her mind, but instead of the fear she had felt before, she now seized the embarrassment. Afraid of a dream, of memories of past times that couldn't harm her anymore, she had sneaked up to Shisui and refused to let go of him after he had noticed her. She had acted like a frightened toddler who couldn't distinguish dream from reality. Her parents were not allowed to know about this incident, she had been anything but like the well-bred Haruno heiress.

The awakening of Shisui made Sakura turn her attention from her thoughts to the present, and with big eyes she looked into Shisui's grinning but still sleepy face as she detached herself a little from him. "Good morning, Cherry~ Better?" The Haruno heiress blinked briefly and swallowed. He did not seem upset about his disturbed sleep or the fact that she was actually big enough not to be frightened by such dreams.

"H- Hai. Arigatou and gomen ne Shisui-san for disturbing your sleep." She felt a hand on her head and turned her gaze back to the Uchiha she had lowered before.

"You needn't apologise for that. My door is always open, even at night. Come on, let's get up and see what my dad made for breakfast." Never before had Shisui seen someone leave the bed so quickly when he mentioned breakfast and stared at the rose-haired one only after she announced that she would get dressed first. Questioningly, Shisui scratched her head. Was it really so abnormal to have breakfast in sleeping clothes? The girl almost pretended it was a crime. Sighing, he also stood up and trotted to his closet. If he was waiting for Sakura, he might as well get dressed and get ready before going to the kitchen.

Breakfast was served in a quiet, though rather strange atmosphere that didn't escape Kagami's notice. He gave his son a questioning look but only got a shake of his head in response. Sakura tried to repress the night, but her behavior made the two Uchihas think twice. Shisui wondered what must be going on in her head, but did not get a satisfactory answer. Like the day before, Sakura's sensei arrived punctually and everyone gradually returned to their daily rhythm, forgetting possible questions about Sakura's behaviour.

So the next days passed without any special incidents until...